Duplicate
by Madarao The Authoress
Summary: Third part of Memories series. Full Sum inside. Excerpt from sum: Winry has been murdered. Edward's having nightmares and seeing things. Threats are everywhere, and everyone he loves is in danger. Ed knows he has to do something... RoyEd
1. Chapter 1

**DUH DUH DUH DUUUUUUUN! The long awaited, slightly overdue sequel to The Heart Never Forgets (the next installment in the Memories series- and yes, that is it's official series name. ^^) Honestly, the name gave me the most trouble. The dream at the end gave me a bit of trouble, too. But now I'm just telling you what's going to happen, so I shall stop. **

**You don't really need to know anything for this story that the stories before it couldn't tell you, so I'll go ahead and get down to business. **

**Full Summary: Winry has been murdered. Edward's having nightmares and seeing things. Threats are everywhere, and everyone he loves is in danger. He knows he has to do something, but first he has to find the nameless murderer- one who leaves no traces behind. If he's to save his family, he's got to find out who this murderer is and stop him or her before it's too late. Definitely not very FMA-like, as this is something that would probably never happen. If you're easily scared, might want to read this with the light on. I've been told some parts are creepy. ROYED**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fullmetal Alchemist, or anything associated with it. Get that through your heads already. Saying it depresses me. D=**

**Warnings: Foul language. Creepiness. Shounen-ai (DUH!)**

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><p>When he finally came to (<em>how long had it been? It should have been an hour or more. He can't have only been passed out for moments.<em>) they were in the hall. His head was in Roy's lap, and the man was gently stroking long fingers through his golden hair and whispering softly in his ear. Not that he could actually make out what was being said, but at least knowing that he was being spoken to was enough right now. His head was aching, and he felt dizzy and nauseous. Slowly and carefully, not sure about any of his movements, he lifted a hand to his head, rubbing flesh fingers along his forehead and allowing his eyes to flutter open.

The light was unbearably bright; it was as if he had a terrible hangover. His eyes quickly slid shut again, but not before gaining his lover's attention. "Ed?" came the quiet whisper in his ear. He nearly groaned out loud, flesh fingers sliding from his forehead and searching blindly for the other man's shirt. They finally found it, closed tightly in the fabric. Using the hold, he dragged himself onto his side and buried his nose into a toned, clothed belly, closing his eyes more tightly. It took minutes and a hell of a lot of effort to find his voice. The damnable thing seemed to have turned tail and fled, running for either the hills or the nearest ledge, the coward.

"What the hell happened? Why are we on the floor in the hall? Weren't we in Winry's… hotel… room…?" His eyes finally opened wide as he recalled what had happened to his soon-to-be ex-wife (suppose he didn't have to worry about that now, being as she was dead) during the night. The fingers in his hair faltered for a moment, picked up again right where they left off. It was nice; they were even getting all the way down to the scalp, rubbing against it and soothing, just because Roy knew how much he liked it. Even though he still felt sick, he made a soft keening noise, fingers tightening in the fistful of shirt he had a hold on.

"You passed out when you saw… I told you it wasn't a good idea to go in there, but you never listen to me, do you. As stubborn as ever. You shouldn't always push yourself into things. Especially something like this. If you can't go in there and see her… that's fine. You don't have to. It's not something you s_hould _have to do," the general murmured, fingers still raking through his lover's hair.

"B-but I wanted to see. I _had _to see." Edward breathed, voice threatening to fail. The thing really was a coward. They were going to have to have a very long chat about that later. Slowly, he pulled himself into a sitting position, still leaning on Roy for support. His hand was still clutching the man's shirt possessively. Without pause, the strong, lean fingers soothed him, starting with the terrible headache that had begun to worsen. He felt the general shake his head, then ruffle blond bands lightly.

"I'll be right back. I've got to talk to Hawkeye about all this, and then clear a few things up with the police so we can go and get Nikki."

"But I don't want you to go." Ed mumbled, tightening his grip even more; his knuckles were now white, an extreme contrast to the rest of his tan skin. "I want you to stay here with me."

"Ed, I swear I'll come right back. I just have some things to take care of, okay?" Those long fingers pulled lightly through his hair again. The man really knew how to bend him and make him do what he wanted.

"Give me a kiss before you go." At the look of slight hesitation in onyx eyes, he sighed and continued, "Half of Central saw us rubbing all over each other the other day. I think a small kiss will be fine." Then he proceeded to pucker his lips to show that he wasn't going to take no for an answer, and he was going to get that kiss no matter what.

"Mkay," he hummed, leaning down to press a quick kiss to the other's lips. "Are you going to let me go now?" he purred against them.

"Yeah. Go. I'm just going to sit here, if that's okay."

"Of course." Roy gave him one more kiss before he pushed to his feet and walked back into the hotel room. Edward settled back against the wall, pushing his own fingers through his hair and letting out a deep breath.

_How could this happen? I mean, sure, Winry had an attitude and she could be a bitch sometimes- especially to me- but people loved her and her work. So… who the hell could have killed her? And… what the hell was with that on the wall and the dream last night? _He buried his face in his hands as the thoughts raced through his head. The headache was still getting worse, pounding now and he could even hear his pulse pounding in his ears. It was beginning to make him feel sick. _Which is exactly what I need, thanks. _Edward groaned loudly, though it was muffled greatly by his hands. What he wanted to do was go home and go back to sleep. _After _they got Nicholas, of course. His son needed him, and he needed his son.

He lifted his head and watched police walk back and forth to and from the room. But he didn't see the blue military pants he was looking for. Over the years, he'd learned to be more patient. At the moment, though, he didn't feel like being patient. His ex-wife was dead, his son was alone with strangers, and he couldn't do _anything _about it except sit there and wonder at… well, _everything. _What he wanted was Roy here right _now _so they could leave and maybe he could pretend none of this had happened for just a little while.

Finally, a pair of bright blue pants stopped right in front of him. Ed smiled and looked up, taking the hand that was being offered to him. Roy pulled him to his feet, threading their fingers together. "Ready to go?" he asked quietly, twisting their wrists around so he could kiss the back of the shorter man's hand.

The young alchemist did no more than nod his head in answer. He then proceeded to drag his lover out of the building as quickly as he could.

"In a hurry, are we? You never do take anything slow, huh?" His arm draped around the other's waist, pulling him close and kissing his temple. Golden eyes flickered over to him, then a blond head was dropped onto his shoulder. His fingers were squeezed, but he didn't get an answer other than that. "What? Are you not going to talk to me?" The head on his shoulder shook the negative and he frowned. "Ed, you have to talk sometime." The head shook against his shoulder again. This time, he sighed. "Fine then. We won't talk."

And talk they didn't. The walk to the police station was absolutely silent, save for the sounds of the city. The blond's head stayed on his shoulder the entire time, though. It was only when they walked through the front doors of the station that he finally lifted his head and glanced around, looking for his son. He didn't make any move to ask where Nikki was, of course, so Roy took it upon himself to do so.

"Excuse me, we're looking for his son, Nicholas Elric," he told one of the policewomen after he'd stopped her.

"I need proof that he is the boy's father."

"I would think that it was pretty obvious he's Edward Elric. After all, the Alchemist of the People is pretty well-known. I was sure everyone knew who he was."

"And just who are you, sir?" she snapped, looking pretty peeved to have been talked to with that kind of disrespect.

"General Roy Mustang. Flame Alchemist. Hero of Ishval. Any of these ringing a bell?" he barked back, pulling his watch out of his pocket and holding it out for her to see. He knew Edward wanted to go home, and he also knew his young lover must not feel like dealing with any of this shit. Currently, the man's golden eyes were flitting around and he looked rather like a scared deer caught in the headlights of a car.

The policewoman gritted her teeth and jerkily nodded her head; there was no way she could tell a general/state alchemist and another state alchemist no, regardless of how much they were making her blood boil. "Yes, sir, General Mustang. Follow me." She turned and gestured over her shoulder for them to do as she said, then walked off deeper into the station. Roy took Edward's hand, as the young man was still looking around frantically, and led him after her, rubbing a soothing thumb across the back of his love's flesh hand. Still, Ed looked.

"Daddy!"

His attention snapped forward, to the policewoman holding his son. From the look on his face, he was about to cry. His hand slid out of Roy's as he hurried forward and took Nicholas from the woman's arms, smoothing his hair and humming. But he didn't talk. Not even a single word.

"If you wouldn't mind signing some papers, General Mustang, you and Major Elric can leave," the woman told them politely, though it was obvious she was still pissed at them.

"Of course." Having signed papers most of his career- and just getting better at actually _doing _it- the general stepped forward and quickly read over them, then signed them, listening to Edward humming a song to his son. "Here you are. We'll be off. You know where to reach me should anything come up." Without waiting for a reply, he led the blond out of the station again with an arm around his waist. "Are you going to talk now?"

Finally, Ed glanced up at him, frowned, but didn't say anything. He merely shook his head again. The dark-haired man sighed, but he did understand. What with all that had happened… Well, needless to say that he wouldn't feel like talking, either. Nicholas, too, was silent. It made him wonder just exactly what the boy had seen. _Can't these boys ever get a break?_

The blond stayed close to his side, and Roy finally put his arm back around his waist. Edward looked exhausted, he noted. To be honest, he didn't think he'd ever seen his lover look so tired, not even when he came home from a mission that lasted a week or more. When they got home, he was most certainly putting them both to bed. Lord knew that they needed it.

"Alright, Edward, straight upstairs. I'll be up in a second. Nope, don't even stop to take your shoes off." Roy said, pushing the blond away from where he had stopped to toe off his boots and towards the staircase. He received a look- one part questioning, one part confused. "Go on. To the bed. Now. Shoo." He motioned with his hands for Ed to walk up the stairs.

And, rolling his eyes, the young man finally did, bouncing his son the whole way. He carefully sat down on the bed and checked Nikki over, as he'd not had time earlier. He looked unharmed. Untouched, even. Whoever had attacked Winry hadn't wanted Nicholas. That was odd. Unless they had specifically wanted Winry and no one else. That he could understand. What he couldn't understand was _why_.

"Now hold up a foot." Roy was now in front of him, kneeling down on one knee. He frowned down at his older lover, bug held his foot up anyways. The general caught it around the heel, then pulled the shoe and sock off. He let it fall ungracefully back against the side of the bed, holding out his hand for the other one. Edward dropped his heel into it, and the process was promptly repeated. "Go to sleep." An eyebrow arched at him. "You look like hell. You _need_ to sleep, if only until dinner is ready. For me?" A blond head bobbed up and down, and he settled Nikki down on Roy's side of the bed, kissing his forehead.

"Daddy, what bout Mommy?" the young boy asked, the first words he'd said since he first saw his father in the police station. Edward started to open his mouth, but stopped and shook his head.

"Nikki, why don't you and your dad take a nap, huh? It's been a long day, and Ed's exhausted. You can talk afterwards, okay?" Roy to the rescue. The man really was too good for him.

"Okay, Uncle Roy!" The boy immediately closed his eyes, and he received a warm smile and a nod of thanks from his lover. _No problem, _he mouthed, before exiting the room.

After a long, dreamless nap, Edward wandered downstairs. Nicholas had still been asleep, so he had left him there to finish his nap. No telling when the boy had been woken up by the murderer, and who could sleep after something like that? A little while longer wouldn't hurt him. Besides, it gave Ed time to gather his thoughts.

The bottom stair squeaked under the weight of his left foot; the weak spot was against the wall, since that was where he'd put his foot. All sounds in the kitchen stopped. Now he didn't really want to go in there. Everyone would stare at him, probably ask if he was okay. He didn't want that. But he did want Roy. Instead of going straight to the kitchen, he went into the living room. He stopped dead in the door. The mean he wanted to see was lying across the couch, paper held up in front of his face.

"Oh. You're in here." The paper dropped, and a smile was cast his way.

"Did you sleep well?" The paper went back up now. Ed frowned and walked over, sliding into Roy's lap and shimmying up under the paper. His head pillowed on the older man's chest.

"Mhm," he hummed, inhaling the spicy smell he'd come to know of as his lover's.

"And you're actually talking again?"

"Guess so." He toyed with a loose string on the man's button-up shirt.

"Your hands are cold. _Both _of them; I can feel them through the shirt." Roy informed him. He could feel the words rumble in the chest he was laying on. It was rather soothing; he'd hate to lose it. But he merely shrugged in response to the statement. "Oh? Not going to talk anymore?"

"That's not it," he mumbled in reply, forgetting about the string and dropping his hand onto the chest beside his head.

"It's fine, Ed. You don't have to talk unless you want to." The page was turned. Ed's eyes skimmed over it, but he didn't see anything particularly interesting on it. Nor did he see why the hell Roy read these things all the time.

"We can stay here… Nikki and I… right?"

"Well, I can't think of a reason why you couldn't."

"Tha-"

"Hey, lovebirds. Dinner's ready. Come get it now, or don't eat." Mei was standing behind the couch, looking down at the two men practically twined together on the couch.

"Okay, Mei. Thanks," Edward mumbled. There was no bite to the words. They were simply… flat. His legs untangled from Roy's; he had no clue how they'd gotten like that. He must have twisted their legs together at some point.

"We'll be there in just a moment." The paper was set aside, and a kiss was placed on the top of his head. Mei faked a gag and walked off, but she smiled the moment her back was turned. Edward might not be her favorite person in the world, they might argue, and they might act terrible to one another, but she did kind of like him and want him to be happy. And, if nothing else, Nicholas deserved a father. Especially now that his mother was dead.

"Don't be too long, boys. If you're not in here in five minutes, we're eating without you, and I will gladly let you starve to death."

"Whatever," Ed grumbled back, sliding down so he was sitting up between his lover's legs and glaring at Mei's back.

'Ed, I can't get up with you sitting between my legs." Roy pointed out, sitting up a bit more.

"You talk like you mind it," the blond muttered under his breath, sliding up and over the arm of the couch so his lover could get up. The older simply chuckled and stood, leading the way into the kitchen. Not that he was actually hungry, but he could make an attempt to eat so as not to worry anyone. If all else failed, he could at least push the food around his plate. He took his seat- it was left empty for him today, he was pleased to see, as Alphonse usually insisted upon sitting there- and stared at his plate.

Dinner was awkward, to say the least. The conversation didn't make it that way. How could it, when nobody said a word the whole time? He was pretty sure it was because of him. Everyone was worried they'd say something wrong and they'd send him over the edge. Well, he'd already been there. Was there, even now. He was just really fucking good at hiding it. He didn't eat, save for a couple of nibbles when Al or Roy was watching him intently to make sure he got some kind of sustenance in him. It was near the end of the awkward meal that he heard Nicholas start crying and calling for him. It was the perfect excuse to leave the dining table and not feel like he was being rude about it.

The upstairs hall was dark, but Edward didn't bother to turn on the light, for he knew the way to their room very well. It was when he got halfway there that he really started to regret not flipping the switch up when he passed it. Eyes were boring into his back, he could swear. And it wasn't just a watchful gaze; it was a _glare, _and it was scaring the hell out of him. He sped up his pace a little bit. There was the tail end of a chuckle behind him and he spun around… quick enough to see the remnants of a shadow disappearing inside the open door at the very end of the hall, and a vase teetering on the table outside the opening.

His eyes widened, heart hammering in his chest. It was so loud he could swear whoever had run into that room could hear it. His stomach clenched and he turned, running as quietly as he could the rest of the way to his and Roy's room. He scooped his son up in his arms and barreled out of the room, taking the stairs two at a time. The moment he skidded to a stop in the kitchen, all eyes were on him, and the young boy whose face was buried in his shoulder, flesh hand on the back of the young child's head.

"There's someone in the house." Much as he tried, the fright still leaked into his voice, and he hated himself for it. He had to be strong for Nicholas, and this was the _opposite _of strong.

"You sure?" Al asked, dropping his fork.

"Ed-"

"Well why the fuck didn't you stop him? You're supposed to be the shit at hand-to-hand combat! Oh, great, now he's going to come down here and kill us all." Mei whined, panic written clearly on her features.

Edward stared at her for a moment, then pointed to Nikki and said, "Baby?" At which point he promptly forgot Mei was even there and turned back to Roy. "Go check. I saw him go into the last room, opposite direction of ours."

The dark-haired general got up without argument, but Ed swore he heard him mutter "Oh, so you want _me _to die, do you?" when he walked by him. They waited for him right there, all frozen to the spot and holding their breath- except for Nicholas; the young boy seemed to have recovered quite quickly and forgotten all about the serial killer skulking around upstairs. When Roy finally came down again, the blond wanted to grab him and demand to know why he hadn't heard a struggle. But, again… baby.

"Well?" he asked expectantly, switching his son from arm to arm.

"There was nobody up there. Not even any evidence to suggest that anyone besides the five of us had even been in any of those rooms." Roy answered, looking worried for Edward and his sanity.

Ed, on the other hand, was gaping, which changed to sputtering, which changed to gasping like a fish out of water. And everyone was watching the spectacle like he really was insane, even Nicholas. "But I saw them! Their shadow, at least… I even saw the vase on the end table about to fall off!" he insisted, desperate for someone to believe him.

"Babe, it was dark up there. Your eyes were probably playing tricks on you or something. It's okay. I promise, I checked the upstairs thoroughly, and it's clear. You don't have to worry about anything. Just sit down and take a breath, okay?" His coal black eyes flickered over to Mei, who quickly stood up and took Nicholas from Edward's arms. Which was probably for the better, as they fell limp moments later and he collapsed into a chair, staring blankly at his lover.

"B-but I saw it… and so it must be true. If you can see it, then…" the young alchemist trailed off, gaze falling to the mismatched hands resting in his lap. Seconds later, Al got up and both he and Mei left the room; Roy must have gestured or conveyed a telepathic message to them, but Ed didn't know. All he knew was that his lover was kneeling on the ground in front of him, cupping his face in his hands and gazing up at him.

"Ed, you've been through a lot these past few days. It was no doubt a trick of the light or your eyes playing tricks on you. That's all. You're safe here. Nikki is safe here. We're all safe here."

Edward wanted to tell him that no, it wasn't a trick of the light or the eyes; he'd _heard _someone laughing at him, too. He wanted to tell him no, they weren't safe here; they weren't safe _anywhere _and he knew it, but he didn't know how he knew. Wanted to tell him about the dream last night. The writing on the wall. The amazingly foreseen death of Winry.

But he couldn't, and so he didn't. He just nodded his head and muttered, "Yeah, I guess you're right. Sorry for freaking out." One of the hands on his cheek left and was replaced by the backs of fingers slowly stroking across his cheekbone.

"Don't worry too much about it. You've been through a lot. I understand you're going to be a little bit… out of sorts for a while." Then he kissed his younger lover's forehead, keeping his lips pressed there for a few moments.

"If you say so…" he trailed off, hoping the doubt didn't color his tone so much that it was noticeable; it did, but he pretended that it didn't. "Come read with me?" he asked, eyes brightening with hope.

"I swear, you get more excited about reading than you do anything." Roy mumbled, patting his cheek lightly. "But of course I will." He got up off of his knees, scooped Edward up, and carried him down the hall to the library, where he ungracefully yet carefully set his young lover down on the couch. The book they'd been reading was still open on the side table, so he picked it up and settled down with Ed, the shorter crawling between him and the book, leaning his back to Roy's chest; it was much the same position they'd been in on the couch in the living room earlier.

Edward, though he'd taken a nap earlier, wound up falling asleep on Roy's chest, minutes after they'd begun reading; he was still exhausted. The general, of course, didn't have the heart to move him. So, when he was finished reading, he set the book aside, turned off the lamp, and settled down to sleep. After all, it wasn't the first time they'd done this.

_This time, it wasn't an alley or a street or whatever the fuck that place from his dream last night had been. No. Tonight was much worse. He was in the middle of the upstairs hallway in Roy's house. Except it didn't feel like the house. It was freezing and eerie, not warm and comfortable like he usually felt around his lover. _

_Edward glanced around, shivering in his coat. It didn't really look like the hall he'd become accustomed to; at least, it was decorated different in this dream than the one in real life. He felt a frown tug down on his lips as a picture hanging on the wall caught his eye. That wasn't supposed to be there, was it? Curiosity killed the cat, but he couldn't stay away. His curiosity and interest was something he could never deny, after all. _

_Slowly, he walked across the hall, from the top of the stairs to the picture frame. His finger traced along the edge as he tried to see it in the dim lighting. It was all of them- Roy, Nicholas, Winry, Mei, Alphonse, and himself- settled in like an actual family… or the Addams Family. Except Winry's face was scratched out in red. He dabbed the tip of his flesh forefinger against it-noticing there was no glass to protect the actual picture- to see if anything came off. It was wet and sticky. When he pulled it back, glistening blood- fresh- stained his skin. His eyes widened, and he wiped it off on his pants with a disgusted noise. _

_Instead of walking away and getting the hell out of Dodge, like he knew he __**should **__have, he looked closer at the picture, trying to see if there was anything he'd missed. There were bloody slashes through every face but his own. And his face… wasn't even his own. It was smirking at him, eyes glinting insanely, and he looked like a madman; that expression had never twisted his features. Not ever. _

_There was more of that cackling behind him. Ed had heard it so much that you must think he was used to it and it didn't bother him anymore; well, if you thought that, you were dead wrong. It was even creepier now that he'd heard it in his own house, not to mention it was louder and lasted longer. His blood ran cold when an icy hand slid quickly down his arm and squeezed his wrist. He whirled; the feeling disappeared and… there was no one there. _

"_I'm gonna get your brother~" It was tauntingly sing-song, changing notes and holding the last two words out in certain places. He spun to his left, where the eerily familiar voice was coming from, just in time to see a dark shape disappear into his brother's and Mei's bedroom. Fear punched him in the gut and he took off running down the hall; he had to make sure Al was okay. But when he looked in the room, there was no one there. _

"_I'm gonna get your lover~" It was still in the same tone, coming from the direction he'd run from. He spun to the right. This time, the dark shape held up a hand and flapped his fingers at him in a mocking wave before it quickly slid into his and Roy's room. _

"_No!" he screamed, racing back to their room. He skidded to a halt in the door, nearly ramming into himself. If he hadn't known better, he would swear there was a mirror there. Except he knew there __**couldn't **__be a mirror there. For one, the hall wasn't cast back at him as well. And the other Edward was wearing the same expression as the one in the picture: smirking and crazed. _

"_Boo." The other spat, smirk widening when the real Edward flinched. "My god. Am I really like this? Scared by a few skeletons in the closet- or, you know, myself showing up in creepy dreams?" Real Edward wasn't looking at him, which pissed him off. "So, who should I kill next? Alphonse? Maybe I'll go after Roy… Or maybe, just maybe, I'll slice your little boy's throat. After I torture him, of course. It's no fun unless you make them scream." Other Edward continued, poking out his bottom lip at the last sentence for effect. _

_Real Edward growled, eyes flashing dangerously in the dark. "Don't you __**dare **__lay a finger on my family! I don't know who the hell you are, but I want you __**gone! **__You don't belong here. You're not real. You're all in my head, and when I blink, you're going to be gone." He closed his eyes, counted to three, and then opened them. He silently rejoiced when the space in front of him was empty; honestly, he hadn't been sure he was right, and half of him thought that the duplicate would still be standing there when his eyes opened again. _

_Breathing a long sigh of relief, he reached over and flipped the light on. The moment his eyes slid up and caught sight of the wall behind the bed, he wished he'd left it off. Dug into the wall with what looked like a knife- constantly dipped in blood to keep the gashes bright red- were nine large words: __**Aren't you glad you didn't turn on the light? **__And then, below it, smaller: __**I'm going to kill them all, Ed. And there's nothing you can do about it.**_

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><p><strong>Aaaaaaand, that's the end of the first chapter of Duplicate. Read, enjoy, laugh, hug your golf club tight to your chest... and after all that, review to let me know what you thought about it. Because feedback... is fucking sent from Heaven. So, yeah. Review. REVIEW... REVIEW! REVIEW! -spazz attack- Bet you won't forget to REVIEW now. =P<strong>

**Ciao!**

**hugs&kisses~ Madarao  
><strong>


	2. Chapter 2

**I... am finally updating. Shocker, right? But I had PLANNED on updating earlier in the week (yes, I've been lazy this summer. Problems?) but band camp got in the way. Now it is here, though, and I hope you are happy! Especially you, Tamyou. She has been subtly hinting that I should update on a few occasions now. xD**

Anyways, I'm keeping this short and sweet. Me needz sleepz. -is not sleeping much because of band camp-

**Disclaimer: I do not own. I never owned. I WILL never own. ARE YOU FUCKING HAPPY NOW? Because... I'm sad now. I hate admitting that I don't own FMA, because then I have to come to terms with the fact that I can't make Roy and Ed fuck AT LEAST once in every volume... and kill off Winry. -.-**

**Warnings: Foul language. Shounen-ai. Possibly scary/gross stuff. (S-chama... go ahead and get your golf club. I'm not sure if you'll need it, but better safe than sorry!) And... SURPRISE, UNRELATED-TO-ANYTHING _LEMON! _**

**Enjoy!**

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><p>Roy had him sitting up, leaning into the corner of the couch. A cool cloth was being run over his heated, flushed face. But the older man said not a word. He simply focused on what he was doing: Cooling Ed off and wiping the sweat off of his face before it dried. Edward was glad that he wasn't prying in an attempt to find out what had happened. Why the blond had suddenly vaulted off of his chest, knocking the breath out of him in the process, and started talking nonsense, panting and on the verge of tears the entire time.<p>

"Why aren't you demanding I tell you what the hell just happened?" he finally asked- when he'd calmed down enough to form a coherent sentence, that is.

Roy continued wiping his face off, but mumbled, "I assumed you'd tell me what kept waking you up in the middle of the night whenever you were ready."

"What if I was never ready?"

"Then I'd be here when you woke up, and I'd do exactly what I'm doing right now: I'd comfort you to the best of my abilities, and not try to pry any information out of you." Roy answered simply, as if Edward should have known that already. The blond fell silent. The back and sides of his neck were slowly and carefully wiped. Roy started on the front of his neck next. Ed reached up and stroked his fingers through his lover's hair slowly, lovingly.

"You're amazing, you know," he murmured, watching as the dark strands shifted slowly over his fingers. He just barely caught the small smile gracing the older man's features. "We should go up to bed. I think I'm fine now."

"You sure about that?"

"I'm positive." Edward pushed the man's hand away and stood up. His knees still felt slightly weak, but he didn't let it show. "Come on. The body needs sleep, after all, and we've probably got a long day ahead of us." The way today had gone, tomorrow would be shit. And if he had his guess, he'd wind up a suspect in Winry's murder. Wasn't that the way it always worked? Fingers were pointed to the husband? Even quicker when the couple had been seeking divorce. Of course, he hadn't done it, and he _knew _he hadn't done it. He wasn't a cold-blooded killer. In fact, he couldn't even bring himself to kill someone who probably deserved it.

Roy sighed and stood. He set the washcloth down on the side table, his hand on Ed's lower back. Golden eyes slid up to him. The blond was trying to smile, though he was failing miserably at it. He kissed the other's forehead, between shocks of blond fringe, then led him upstairs to their bedroom. When he reached for the light switch, he felt Edward tense.

"What's wrong?" he asked quietly, stopping before he actually flipped the light switch up. He felt blond hair hit his shoulder as his young lover shook his head.

"Nothing. I'm fine."

The dark-haired general shrugged his shoulders. Ed bit his lip when the light was flipped on, refusing to look on the wall behind the bed because he feared what he might see. But his lover walked in like there was nothing wrong, and he finally looked up. Nothing. There was absolutely nothing on the wall above their bed. He breathed a sigh of relief, and then there were dark eyes on him.

"Are you sure you're okay?"

"I'm positive. Let's just get to bed, huh?" he asked, seeming slightly happier and much more relaxed. They stripped down to their underwear and settled down into bed. Edward settled against Roy's chest and rested his forehead against the hollow of the other's throat. "I love you." He didn't say it enough. Not near as much as he should have, and it filled him with the worst feeling.

"I love you, too."

-xXx-

Just like before, when he went back to sleep, there were no nightmares. He still didn't feel very well rested, but it wasn't like he was so exhausted he felt as if he was going to pass out. Regardless of his lack of sleep, Edward insisted on going to work with Roy. Honestly, it was because he didn't want to be alone; _especially _if the authorities showed up and began to question him. Or, worse, took him into custody. He was pretty sure that no evidence had been found- he hadn't heard anything, at least- to link anyone else to the case, but they _did _have a motive for he himself. At some point, that would be enough.

At first, Roy didn't want to let him go. Partly because of Nicholas, and partly because he looked like "a fucking zombie that had been shot, burned, and dragged through the sewers… and was still walking." He didn't look that bad, and he let the general know that in the most crude, profanity-filled way possible. Needless to say, eventually, Roy gave in and allowed Edward to come with him.

There were still a few outfits Winry had missed in the upstairs bedroom-turned-nursery. They'd have to buy more to replace everything, as Nicholas' belongings from the hotel room had been taken in as evidence. Even if they did get them back, Edward wasn't sure he'd want to keep them. And the things from Risembool would take a while to come in, as Pinako would have to pack everything up by herself and then ship it all the way to Central.

"Are you ready now?" Roy asked, head poked into the nursery. The two of them had gotten changed, eaten breakfast, and then split ways so Ed could dress his son and the general could gather up some notes and paperwork. Apparently, one of them was done. The other was tying shoes.

"Just a second. He keeps kicking his leg, and that makes it extremely hard to tie. A fucking. Shoe," he growled as Nicholas demonstrated just what trouble he was giving his father by kicking his leg up and giggling when it caused the laces to slip from Edward's fingers. The blond man took a breath, grabbed the laces, and quickly did a half-ass job at tying them before Nikki recovered from his giggle fit. "There. _Now_ we're ready." With that, he stood up, son in his arms, and grinned. Nicholas giggled loudly again, kicking his legs some more. Since he wasn't trying to get the boy's shoes on anymore, Ed didn't mind so much. It was actually kind of cute.

"Well, get a move on, then." Roy urged, stepping away from the door and gesturing Edward to go ahead and get out. The younger man did so, bouncing down the stairs and pausing by the door for his coat. He could hear the older man coming down the stairs behind him as he opened the door and glanced over his shoulder. As he stepped out, he turned to face forward again… and froze on the spot, eyes widening in horror. In his arms, Nicholas screamed as only a child could and started sobbing, burying his face in his father's shoulder so he wouldn't have to see.

Edward made a soft sound, one that was supposed to be a scream but didn't come out quite… right. He didn't hear Roy say his name, nor did he hear him ask what was wrong. He didn't hear the gasp of surprise, either. All he could register was what was right in front of him.

Dangling from the ceiling was a snow white rabbit. At least, that parts not stained with blood were white. There was a small puddle of the thick red liquid below the animal, and it was slowly dripping from its mouth. Only one leg was tied up in the rope. The other, along with its front legs, were free, spread out. And it was still _twitching. _

"It's still alive," he finally managed to force out of his thick throat, as strangled as it sounded. When he finally got that his lover didn't appear to be able to move, Roy grabbed him around the waist and dragged him back inside, closing the door quickly and firmly behind them. He put his hands on either side of the blond's face, making him look at him.

"Ed… Say something to me. Anything at all."

"I…" He was shaking violently, still holding tightly to Nicholas. His hand was on the back of the boy's head, holding his forehead against his shoulder as he'd been doing to shield him so that he couldn't see what had been done. "Why me?" he finally breathed. Teary, horror-filled eyes lifted up to him and he noticed that his young lover's bottom lip was trembling.

Again, Roy took him to the couch- this time in the living room- and made him sit down. Edward refused to let go of Nicholas, though, muttering something about him being killed if he let him go.

"He's going to kill you, too, Roy. And Alphonse; he'll kill Alphonse also. He said so," the distressed blond muttered deadly, eyes staring at nothing.

"What are you talking about, Edward? Nobody's going to kill me, nor are they going to kill your brother." Roy attempted to soothe, gently stroking his fingers through Ed's ponytail. It was pulled from his fingers when the other shook his head roughly, eyes closing tightly.

"No, no! He can, and he will. He told me he would. I'm sure he killed Winry, too, and now he's going to come after you! I don't want to lose you. I can't lose you! Everybody leaves me, or at least tries to. My mom. My dad. Alphonse. Winry. Nicholas. You can't. I need you! You have to be the one to stay with me!" Edward pleaded hysterically, finally moving his hand from his son's head to grab onto Roy's sleeve. "You have to," he whispered again, brokenly, as his eyes finally opened again, locking with his lover's and holding intently. For a moment, the dark-haired general was stunned silently, simply staring at the other with his mouth open. "Oh, god, you're going to leave me, aren't you?"

That seemed to snap him out of it. He grabbed Edward's shoulder, shaking his head soberly. "Of course I'm not going to leave you. I love you, Ed. I'd never be able to leave you," he insisted, following the other's gaze when he tried to look away. "Al isn't going to leave you, either. You're the brother who gave up an arm to bring his soul back, who gave up his childhood and teenage years to get him his body back, who sold his soul to the military for him. He has the best older brother in the world, and he knows it. He would _never _leave you, and not only because of everything you've done for him; simply because he loves you, too," he assured the young man, who was nearly hyperventilating right there on the living room couch. He pushed blond fringe back to reveal leaking gold eyes, which slowly slid up to him. "You're absolutely amazing. Nobody would ever _choose _to leave you."

Very slowly, Edward nodded, though Roy could still tell he doubted the words. There was the unmistakable sound of footsteps in the hall. The older man look up in time to see Alphonse stop in the middle of the archway leading into the living room, Mei right behind him, though the elder Elric didn't bother to look up.

"I thought you two left for Central Headquarters a few minutes ago." The younger Elric's eyes flitted between them, questions and curiosity sparking in them. They were shades darker than his brother's but still incredibly unmistakable.

"We were, but it seems as if someone thought it would be funny to leave a little something on the front porch. So close and so high up that Edward nearly gave it a kiss. Startled him out of his skin." Roy arched a brow at him, telling him that his older brother was currently hysterical and on the verge of hyperventilating and everyone please try not to make any quips about his current state.

To the unspoken request, Alphonse nodded that he understood. Mei peeked in over his shoulder, eyeing Ed curiously. "What kind of 'something?'" she questioned, glancing towards the front door.

Roy hesitated. "A rabbit dangling from the roof of the porch. There was blood all over it, and it might have still been alive. Either that, or it had been killed recently. It was still twitching." Even once dead, he knew sometimes an animal would still twitch.

A pair of bronze eyes widened, begging him to say that he was joking and it wasn't true, as black ones snapped back over to him. He shook his head, indicating that he was completely serious. "If you don't believe me," he started regretfully, "then go see for yourself." Neither of them made a move towards the door; they simply continued to stare disbelievingly at him. "I've got to go get it down, but I don't think we'll be going to the office today." With that said, he turned back to Edward, cupping the young man's cheek. "Ed, I'm going to go get rid of it, okay? That way you don't have to see it again. Sit right here and I'll be back in just a few minutes. I promise I'll come right back as soon as it's gone."

There was hesitation in Ed's eyes, showing that he really didn't want Roy to go, but then he slowly nodded. "Okay. Just come right back," he whispered hoarsely, taking the man's hand from his cheek and kissing the palm.

"I will." He then stood up and left the room. "If you'd be so kind as to help me, Alphonse, I wouldn't object to help."

"Oh. Right, yeah, of course." Alphonse rambled slightly, quickly turning to help the older man. Mei cast one more look at Edward before she followed, wanting to see this for herself so she could actually believe it; it was just too unreal to believe from mere words. That left Edward and Nicholas alone in the living room. The young child's tears had finally stopped, and now he was very quiet. God knew what all of this was doing to him if it was affecting Ed as badly as it was.

"Did you like my present?" It came from his right. His head whipped in the direction, eyes wide and startled again. There was a shadow on the wall. "Just what you wanted, right?" This time from his left. He glanced over, and there was nothing. He looked to the right. Again, nothing. "I did so good, huh? I've always been _great _at picking out gifts for people, and I just _couldn't _resist this. It simply _screamed _'Edward' at me."

It was his voice. It was his _own fucking voice. _But that was impossible. Right now, he was awake. There could be a second Edward in his dreams. There could be someone else who had his voice in his dreams. But right now, he was wide awake and… there it was. His own voice taunting him. And he couldn't even see who it was. It couldn't be _him. _Could it?

"D-Daddy? Wh-who's that? He sounds like you." Nicholas chimed in. That meant he couldn't just pass if off as his own imagination. Someone else had heard it, too. So he wasn't going crazy. That was slightly comforting.

"Is that your son? Oh, he's absolutely _adorable_~ You should let me play with him sometime."

"No way in hell." It came out a lot more forcefully than he'd thought it would. For that, he was grateful. He had no clue what was going on here, but he'd be damned if he was going to let this get the best of him. If only he acted as confidently as he was thinking at this particular moment.

"Aw, don't be like that, Eddo. I always get my way, you know. So if I want to play with the kid, I'm going to play with the fucking kid. You got me?" The first two sentences had been light and slightly playful; the last two had been harsh and demanding. Just like the voice from his dream last night.

"You keep thinking that, you bastard. But you're not laying a hand on my son."

"That's what you think~" The tone was close to the sing-song voice used last night in his dream, just slightly different.

"Who are you?" Edward finally snapped, unable to take it anymore.

"Don't you wish you knew?"

Then he heard the front door close, the soft sound of Alphonse and Roy talking between themselves. He imagined they were talking about something that they didn't want him to hear. That was fine. He didn't think he could focus on it, anyways. His mind was still stuck on what had happened when he and his son were alone. Who the hell had that been? It had sounded exactly like he himself! But that was impossible, because as far as he knew, he did _not _have a twin brother. Even if he had, twins didn't share the same voice.

"Ed." The couch shifted under him, denting down as someone else took a seat beside him. "Are you better now? Still shaken up?" It was a stupid question; they all knew that, but Roy didn't know what else to say.

"Y-yeah… but I'm a little better now."

"We don't have to even leave the house today. Not after that." Roy murmured, kissing his temple softly and placing a hand on the side of his neck.

"Are you sure?" Edward asked, knowing Roy had already missed a few days of work since he'd crash-landed back into the man's life.

"Of course." The dark-haired man smiled at him and stroked his cheek with his thumb. "After what all has happened, I think you deserve a day off, and I'd like to stay with you. Just in case something else happens. I wouldn't want anything else to happen and you be alone," he murmured, pressing a feather-soft kiss to the corner of his mouth this time. When he pulled back, he could see the hesitation and deliberation in the blond's eyes.

"If you want to…" he finally gave in, nodding slightly as if to agree with his own decision.

"Good. Because I was going to insist upon it anyways." The older man chuckled lightly, kissing him yet again.

"I love you." Edward murmured, remembering what he'd thought last night about not telling Roy that he loved him often enough. To be honest, he hadn't really thought about actually _saying _itwhen he'd remembered his thoughts from last night.

But Roy smiled all the same and replied, just as quietly, "I love you, too." It would have been impossible not to smile back, so smile Ed did, though it was just a small quirking of his lips. Just as he always did, the general took it gracefully. After all, the blond's real smiles had been few and far between for the longest time; he didn't want to take a one of them for granted.

"Can we go back to the library?"

"You want to read again?" the older alchemist asked, arching a brow slightly.

"No. I want to… reminisce. I've got memories now. I want to know if they're real or something my mind conjured up to go with the other ones. I'm not sure what's reality and what's not anymore." Edward shifted Nicholas- who had actually fallen asleep again, much to his father's surprise- and glanced down at him, lightly kissing his forehead. "I'll go lay him down again. Meet me in the library in a few minutes," he told him, cradling his son against his chest as he slowly walked up the stairs, trying not to jostle him.

Edward settled Nicholas down in his crib, worried he was going to wake back up again when his eyes fluttered slightly. But he simply rubbed his nose and turned over, grabbing his blanket and pulling it half off in the process. He smiled down at his son, tried to pull the blanket back over him only to have it yanked away from him again. After brushing Nikki's hair to the side on his forehead, Ed turned and left the room again, closing the door quietly behind him.

The moment he got to the stairs, he forgot about being quiet; he _hated _being alone in the upstairs hallway now, and he didn't think that he'd want to be alone in the living room anymore, either. The library door was left cracked open for him, which was why he did not hesitate to go straight in. Only when he was a few steps inside the door did he pause, watching silently as Roy flipped a page in a little black book. Then he cleared his throat, bit his lip as he moved forward and sat down on the couch.

"So, you wanted to talk?" Roy asked, closing the book and setting it aside.

"Uh. Yeah. So… do you remember… the last day I was here? After staying with you under the doctor's orders." Ed leaned against the couch arm, pulling his legs up so one was lying behind the other. He watched Roy, who was sitting on the opposite side of the couch. The man was silent, looking as if he were thinking.

"Yes. We stayed in the bed nearly half the day. Then you got up and… left."

"No, not that. I guess it would be the last night…" he amended, nudging Roy with his toes as if to say _You should have known that, silly. _"You know, what we did. Right here," he prodded, rubbing his hand along the couch.

"Ah. Now _that _is something I remember vividly."

"So it did happen?"

"Yes. It did. And-"

"Al walked in on us," they finished together. Roy smiled, threading his fingers through his hair.

"Why, yes he did."

"So… that must mean my mind is not making up all this? Because that's the craziest new thing I've been presented with." Now he was feeling a bit better. At least he knew he wasn't going crazy in that department. He still wasn't sure about everything else that was happening to him; the voices, what he was seeing, the dreams.

"No, probably not. We even chased each other around the house naked once." Roy said matter-of-factly, watching as Edward sat up and shifted closer to him.

"I'm just… no sure about anything anymore. You know? What with all that's happening to me, I just… don't know." He sighed, leaning against the other's shoulder and toying with the rope on the shoulder of his military jacket. "It's all really confusing," he finished in a mumbled, worrying his bottom lip as he looked up at his dark-haired lover. Then he slid his fingers up, running them slowly and carefully through the man's soft hair.

"I know, Ed, but you've gotten through worse. You're the smartest man I know; you'll figure all of this out," the general assured him, turning his head to look down at Ed, as well.

Unexpectedly, the blond pushed himself up straighter to kiss him. It rather surprised him. He had assumed that Ed would be withdrawn; keep to himself. Then again, he probably shouldn't have been all that surprised; the other option had been that Ed would be looking for comfort, and Roy was probably the one who could comfort him the most. Especially if he was looking for this.

So Roy let him do it; even let him win the fight for dominance so he could feel in charge of at least _something. _Another thing he wasn't expecting was Edward to straddle his hips, plant himself firmly in his lap. He was nearly out of breath when the other man unzipped his fly. That was when he pulled away and shook his head.

"Edward, no. You're not yourself." Roy said firmly, catching Edward's wrist.

"Of course I'm myself. I just want to feel you." Ed mumbled, flickering his tongue across the dark-haired man's lips. "Make me forget for a little while." When his lover faltered, he slipped his hand free and slid it inside Roy's boxers. "Or are you just afraid you won't be able to get it up for me?" he asked, trying to hide a smirk. He knew that would make Roy give in; the man was just as prideful as he himself, meaning he'd just _have _to disprove that statement.

Which was exactly what Ed knew was going to happen when the taller man flipped him over, pinning him to the arm of the couch. "Say that again." Roy growled, to which the only response was a smirk and a squeeze. The scowl on the older man's face faltered, slowly melting. Again, Ed slid his tongue over Roy's lips, flicked the tip up and down a few times as he stroked. Soon, after some teasing, the man was fully hard- _and _putty in his hands. "Nngh, Ed. Oh, god."

"Do you want to stop now? After all, I'm not myself."

"Ugh, I hate you." Roy groaned, nibbling and sucking on a sensitive spot set low on the blond's neck.

"Doesn't seem like you hate me."

"Shut the fuck up and get those goddamn pants off." Now there were hands fumbling with his button and zipper, clumsily getting them undone and yanking them off. The boxers came down halfway with them. Before the pants even hit the floor, Roy had attacked his neck again, working the shirt off as he quickly made his way down the younger man's clavicle to his chest, running his tongue over a slowly hardening nipple, dragging his teeth down it. Edward whined and did his best to get his partner's pants off. Hard to do when someone was constantly pushing your hands away because they were getting in his way.

"Come on, Roy, I want your pants off, too." Ed whined, catching hold of the man's button once again. "Quit pushing my hands off." Finally, he was able to get the button open and the zipper down. After that, Roy took over, pulling his own pants and boxers off. His own were still only halfway down his legs; those were ripped off, too, as the general hefted both of the blond's legs onto his shoulders, leaning over until the fronts of his thighs were pressed to his chest.

"Edward." Golden eyes blinked, lifted to him, and blinked again questioningly. "I'm hard for you." Those eyes widened in surprise at the words, then the owner smirked.

"I knew you'd be able to get it up; you just needed motivation to actually get into it."

"Conniving, plotting little bastard, aren't you?" Roy muttered, dragging his tongue up the side of his lover's neck. When the blond started to loudly complain about being called the 'L' word, he nipped and sucked, which silenced Ed. He knew he'd been forgiven when the other bumped their hips together and started grinding against him. Or, rather, his hips were bumped and ground against whatever the younger man could get against him, considering his thighs were still pressed against his chest. Fingers dug into his hips, and Edward was already panting; obviously, he was absolutely desperate for it. "Ready?" he grumbled against his partner's neck.

In reply, he received a vigorous nod and, after a second, the blond hissed, "Yes, goddammit."

Roy didn't waste any time; considering they didn't have any lube, though, he took it fairly slow, then paused as he waited for his partner to adjust. The moment he got another nod, he began thrusting, pace slow as he went back to the younger's neck, paying careful attention to the most sensitive spots. It wasn't long before Edward was panting, nails digging into Roy's hips- yes, he was in a really uncomfortable position. His teeth were digging into his bottom lip so hard that blood was drawn; due to Nicholas being upstairs and it being so early in the morning, he didn't want to make too much noise, and everyone knew how vocal he was.

"Nnh, Roy~" he groaned, having to release his lip because he was starting to notice the pain it was causing. "Harder, baby," he ordered, squeezing his eyes closed and tilting his head back. The older man was quick to oblige, speeding up as his thrusts became rougher and harder. His tongue flickered down the other's chest, teasing scars along the way before it slid over a nipple. Ed groaned deep in his throat; he was close now, and there was no way he'd last too much longer. "I-I'm gonna c-come," he panted, eyes still closed tightly.

"Then come for me." Roy replied, his own voice trembling despite the heroic attempts to keep it steady. Again, the blond nodded in reply, gold hair falling over his closed eyes. It was merely a few moments longer before he gasped, eyes snapping open, and tightened around Roy's cock. His teeth dug into his lip even harder, and he nearly lost the struggle not to cry out when he felt his partner release inside of him.

They both took a moment to recover, limp and panting heavily. Then, Roy pulled out of Edward and settled back against the opposite arm, letting mismatched legs fall over his lap. "We really need to quit doing it on the couch, you know. Alphonse likes to use the library, too; at _all _hours of the day. Just like his brother."

"He can get the fuck over it. You're too damn sexy to just pass up."

"Not gonna argue with that."

"Bastard."

* * *

><p><strong>... I just wanted to write a lemon. But I justified it! So, problems? Don't care. If you attempt to express your problems, I can already save myself the trouble of replying and reply RIGHT HERE: tl;dr. Yup. That's it. But you can tell me off for not updating sooner. That's fine.<strong>

** And I wanted to make Ed call Roy a bastard. So... that's where that came from. **

**Anyways, please review after you've read! I shall love you forevers! And now, I am going to sleep. Because I need it. And I shall read fanfics/review fanfics (-cough- Tamyou's, especially, as I promised to review one of her stories and she's updating like a fucking maniac. -cough-) when I have the chance. POSSIBLY tomorrow, but I may not be able to until the weekend.**

**Don't forget to review!**

**hugs&kisses~ Madarao  
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	3. Chapter 3

**It's been a week... and I'm already updating! I'm being less lazy! All of you love that, I'm sure. Or maybe I'm just being too arrogant... Nah, it can't be that. I'm completely and totally modest, after all. -cough- Lying through my teeth. -cough- **

**Like I was saying, this chapter is not beta'd, same as the last. I really need to find a permanent beta... Ah well! You guys can just excuse my mistakes or shove 'em up your ass, cause I don't make _too _many and I don't really care, because everyone makes mistakes. **

**Sorry for this being slightly shorter than the previous two chapters. (It's about 1,000 words shorter. D=)  
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**Disclaimer: I do not own Fullmetal Alchemist. I would never come up with someone such as Winry unless I planned to off her and make Edward and Roy fall madly in love~ **

**Warnings: Foul language. Cutesy boy x boy stuff... I think... And... You know, I don't really know. With my stories, if you've been keeping up, you should know to expect anything. So, yeah. **

* * *

><p>The breath fanned out over the mirror, making it fog up. After a moment, he reached up and rubbed his hand across it, trying to clear it. The first visible thing was his eyes, gold as the sun behind slightly damp blond fringe. There were bags under the eyes, dark purple. Instead of glistening and happy as they had been, the golden pools were dull and a little cloudy.<p>

It was a week after Winry's murder, four days after the incident with the rabbit on the porch. In the time that had passed, Roy had been called out each morning to investigate yet another murder. Always of a person neither of them even knew. Always with cryptic messages written on the wall. _**'Are you going to play with me yet, Daddy?' 'Closer and closer; who next? Lover, brother, or baby?' 'I'm coming for you.' **_That was where Roy was now; at yet another house, investigating yet another murder. Much as he wanted to be there with him, his lover would not allow it; each time he'd gone, he'd gotten dizzy and nearly passed out, having a terrible sense of deja-vu.

The police and detectives still suspected him; in fact, even after all the things he'd done for the country, he was the prime suspect, positioned at the very top of the list of suspected people. Edward _knew- _without even a sliver of a doubt in his mind- that he was completely innocent; he hadn't killed Winry or any of the other innocent victims. He couldn't explain the rabbit he'd found on the front porch, but why would he do something like that to his own house? It was stupid to think he'd have done that.

No. Edward Elric was completely innocent of any of the crimes committed. Roy knew that; after all, they shared a bed, and the general was a very light sleeper majority of the time. Had Ed woken up and left the house, he would have been roused from his sleep. He hadn't been awoken by his younger lover getting up, and therefore he was innocent. But did the police believe that? Not at all; they were absolutely convinced he was the one going around in the middle of the night killing people he didn't even know- besides Winry- for no reason at all.

He was afraid of being arrested, of leaving his son and his lover and his brother. After all, hadn't they been threatened? But no. Whoever that was in his dream… they weren't doing it. The person in his dream was himself. So _was _it him? There was nothing to say either way; no fingerprints, hair, nothing. The crime scenes were absolutely clean of all DNA evidence from the killer. Everyone was left to speculate and jump to conclusions.

One hand rested lightly on his shoulder; he jumped nearly a foot in the air, though he should have been expecting it. He was looking into a mirror, after all. But he hadn't seen his brother walk up behind him.

"You sure are jumpy today, Edward. Are you okay?"

"There's a serial killer going around. Are you saying I shouldn't be worried?"

"No, that's not what I'm saying. But, lately, you're jumping like a startled cat at every noise instead of jumping into a fighting stance. That's very unlike you." Alphonse pointed out, giving Edward's shoulder a little squeeze.

To this, Edward sighed and nodded, looking down at the sink. "I know, Al. I'm just… really on edge since all of this has started. I keep thinking that whoever might come after you next. Or Roy. Or even Nicholas," he told him quietly, running the tip of his finger along the edge of the basin.

"That's highly unlikely. As far as I can tell, he's going after random targets. No rhyme or reason to it."

"But… the messages-"

"Could be meant for anyone. It's not like your name was written on the wall under them." Alphonse assured him calmly, hand on his older brother's shoulder once more. The quick frown that danced across the other's features did not escape his attention. It brought a frown to his own face. "Look, if you're so worried, I'll be extra careful and help keep an extra eye on Nicholas. And you can talk to Roy about it, too, you know. You can talk to either of us about anything, Edward. No matter what it is, we'll listen without judging, okay?"

For a moment, Edward merely worried the inside of his cheek, but then he slowly nodded and looked up at the younger Elric once more. "Okay. I guess I already knew that…" But he didn't say anything else. He still wasn't sure about sharing what he'd been seeing and hearing with even Al, who had his full trust no matter what. And the dreams… He was sure he'd sound completely insane to the others.

"You look really tired. You haven't been sleeping well at night, have you?"

There was a brief pause in which Alphonse somehow managed to stare Edward down. Accepting defeat- mostly because he was too tired to argue about it- the elder brother nodded again, eyes skittering away so as to avoid the other's gaze. "Not really…"

"Then you should go take a nap. And don't just _say _that you're going to go take one and then not do it; say you are, and then actually do it. Here, I'll even walk you upstairs." And Al proceeded to do just that, taking his brother's arm and dragging him up the stairs and to the master bedroom. "Now. Take your shoes off. And don't make me come over there and do it for you, because I _promise _you will _not _like that."

This time, Edward obeyed, as slow as he may have been with doing so. But, soon enough, his shoes were set down near the foot of the bed, socks tucked down into them. He looked up at Alphonse with an expression that simply drawled, 'Are you happy now? I'm going to bed. Now leave!'

"First lay down, and then I will leave you to yourself."

Edward rolled his eyes and flopped over on the bed, pulling the blankets up to his chin and glaring at Al from under them.

"Alright then! Goodnight~ And don't you even try to get up for a good three hours… at the _minimum. _Or I'll have to force you to go back to bed," the younger Elric called over his shoulder as he left, and Ed could just hear the grin in his voice.

Rolling his eyes once more, he turned over so he was facing Roy's pillow, closed his eyes, and let his mind drift towards sleep.

**~;~;~;~;~;~;~;**

When he woke up hours later, someone was sitting on Roy's side of the bed. Edward jolted up, startled out of his skin. After a second, though, he realized it was simply his older lover, who now looked extremely worried about him. He could tell even in the dim light; the curtains had been pulled, he now noticed. Frowning, he rubbed his eyes, yawning wide and crossing his legs under the blankets.

"Hey," he murmured on the tail end of his yawn, pushing his hair out of his tired eyes. He was still rather sleepy, though he must have slept half the day away.

"Ed, put your shoes back on. We're going for a walk."

"How romantic you sound, Roy," the blond joked, smirking. But when Roy didn't react at all to the statement, he frowned, paused for a moment, then turned to get his shoes on. After all, it wasn't very often that the general simply ordered him like this and was completely serious about it.

The older man didn't bother to wait for him; by the time his boots were back on, the other was heading to the door. What could Edward do but follow? The front door was left open for him, the dark-haired man finally waiting for him right on the stoop. When the door was closed, Roy heaved a long sigh and closed his eyes briefly before reopening them and starting down the steps.

"I know I promised you that I wouldn't pry about what was going on; that I'd wait for you to simply come out and tell me. Alphonse told me that, earlier today, he told you that you really needed to talk to someone. You're not yourself, Edward. You're sleeping more than usual, not eating like you should, and you simply look _sick._" For a moment, the man paused, watching the sky as he walked down the sidewalk. Ed's eyes were on him, a frown pulling at his lips. "What I'm getting to is this: I think you need to talk to someone, too. I don't want to push you into it; I _hate _pushing you into things, but in this case, I think it's for the best and that it will help you. I'd like for that person to be me. But if you don't want to talk to me, talk to Al, Pinako, Hawkeye, whoever you feel most comfortable sharing things with. So long as that person can listen and help you."

It seemed that, at least for the moment, Roy was done with what he had to say, for no other words left the man's mouth. Edward didn't speak, either. In fact, he wasn't even looking up at the taller man now; his eyes were on his feet, lip caught between his teeth as he worried it. After a moment, though, he came to a decision, took a deep breath. The person he trusted most was standing right here beside him, asking for him to share what was wrong. Much as he'd have loved to keep everything bottled inside, he knew he couldn't anymore.

"You're going to think I'm crazy."

"Everybody already knew that."

Edward snorted a bitter laugh then started with, "I've been having these weird dreams lately. Ya know that night before Winry died? When I woke up so bent out of shape? That was the first one. I'm not going to tell you all about it because not all of it was important, but Winry was in it… and she was covered in blood. She said I'd killed her. And maybe this wasn't as important but… You were there, too. You told me I'd ruined your life and you'd wanted to die; that I don't love you. You'd had your arms around me, but then you let go. When I turned around… it wasn't you. It was… me. The last thing the other Edward said was 'Checkmate, bastard.'"

"What was on the wall in Winry's hotel room…" Roy murmured as if to himself. Beside him, Edward nodded slowly, sighing.

"And then that night, when I went to get Nicholas out of his crib… I felt someone watching me. It was freaking me out, so I started walking faster. But then I heard someone laugh, so I looked behind me. I saw a shadow disappear into the last room and the vase on the end of the table teetering. And yes, I _know _I saw it and it wasn't just my imagination." Here, he paused, reaching up to pinch the bridge of his nose. "I had another dream that night. There was this picture with all of us… and everyone but me had a bloody scratch through their faces; Winry was completely scribbled out. And… I heard someone singing. 'I'm gonna get your brother. I'm gonna get your lover.' It was me again. You know, the other Edward. He ran into Al's bedroom when he said something about my brother, then ours when he said something about you. I was terrified; I chased him.

And when he left, I turned on the light. 'Aren't you glad you didn't turn on the light? I'm going to kill them all, Ed. And there's nothing you can do about it,' was written above the bed. Kind of like in Winry's room. I haven't really had any dreams after that one. But after the incident with the rabbit… I heard… myself. Talking to me. Taunting me. And I still hear laughter sometimes, or see a bit of a shadow. I don't whether I'm already insane or just… slowly losing it." Ed laughed bitterly, sliding his right hand out of one of his pockets and ruffling his own fringe with it. "For a while, I've been feeling more tired. It's gotten worse as of late; since the dreams started, to be exact. I've been absolutely exhausted, and I haven't felt hungry. I've just felt… ill."

Roy was absolutely silent. It didn't encourage Edward at all. He didn't even feel like picking up his feet and moving anymore, but yet and still he continued to walk beside his lover, waiting for any kind of reaction.

"You sound stark-raving mad, Edward." The older man didn't really mean it, just as much as he hadn't meant to say it aloud. Beside him, Ed didn't take it as badly as he assumed he would.

"I know," he finally mumbled, letting his head fall against Roy's shoulder.

"I didn't mean for it to come out like that," the dark-haired man replied, sighing as he tilted his head back. "It's just… what you're saying sounds completely insane. But I believe you. Crazier things have happened, after all."

"I don't know what to do, Roy. And I don't know who's committing all these murders! I'm the prime suspect! The _only _suspect in this entire case. And… it isn't even me."

"Edward… there's something I need to tell you. Something that happened today, and you're really not going to like it."

In the middle of the sidewalk, Edward froze, golden eyes as large and wide as saucers. Roy took another step before he, too, stopped and turned around. For a moment, he merely watched the shorter man, seeming to go over ways to say whatever he had to in his head, worrying the inside of his cheek.

"They found evidence today," he finally said quietly, hands in his coat pockets. "It was a blond hair. A long one, much like the length of yours." He paused for a second, surveying Ed's shocked reaction. Tears came to the blond's eyes.

"You think it's me?"

"No!" Roy immediately answered defensively, cupping the younger man's cheek in his head. He let his forehead rest against the other's feeling how warm Ed was. "I don't think it was you. Not at all. That hair could have come from anyone; I'm sure you're not the only one in Central with long blond hair. I was just letting you know that the police will probably become more suspicious. But… I'll do everything in my power to prove that you're innocent, because I _know _you are. Without a doubt."

"Roy…" Edward choked on his own words, tears stinging his eyes as he swallowed the lump in his throat. It was blocking the passage and making proper speech absolutely impossible; his voice kept trembling and breaking. "I don't know if I can do this." He reached up and grabbed the taller man's wrist, a grimace twisting his features as he continued to fight the tears that threatened him. "After all I've done to save the people of this country? And now they think I'd turn around and simply kill them without a second thought? I'm not some kind of serial killer! I just… I can't kill anyone. No matter what."

Roy didn't say anything. He brushed his nose against Ed's, stroking his thumb across the younger's cheekbone.

"Human life is too precious; too important. I will not take the life of another person! I've vowed that time and time again. You know that. How can they think…" he trailed, biting his bottom lip hard.

"Ed, don't think about that. They just don't have anything else to go on. The husband seeking divorce is always at the top of the list; since these other murders are so close to Winry's, they just automatically assume they are related. Everyone else knows you can't take lives. They know you as the Fullmetal Alchemist, the Alchemist of the People. The one who fights for them and saves their lives. There's no way in hell they actually believe that you killed those people." Roy assured him, pulling away slightly so as to kiss his younger lover's forehead. "Let's go back. It's starting to look dark and cloudy."

He wrapped an arm around the shorter man's shoulders, leading him back the way they'd come. The rest of the walk was silent. They were each thinking about what the other said earlier. Finally, Roy knew what had been on Ed's mind all week; why he'd been acting so unlike himself. He'd been ready to take the other to a doctor; see if he was sick or just what was wrong with him. He was worried; Al was, too. Hell, anyone who'd been around the elder Elric in the past week knew there was something wrong. Now he knew, though he didn't know what to do with it anymore.

"We'll figure it out." Roy finally murmured as they made their way up the walk towards the front door. Edward didn't reply. The door flew open before they'd even stopped in front of it. There stood Alphonse, a look of concern on his face.

"Oh, good! I'm so glad you're alright, Ed. When I saw you weren't in your room, I got worried!" he exclaimed, breathing a long sigh of relief. "There's something you should know, though… It's on the radio… About the murders, they've officially named you as their one and only suspect, though they said the only evidence they have is a hair, which hasn't been identified as yours by anyone. I guess they think since it looks like yours, that's enough to count it against you." Al informed him as they walked through the door and took off their shoes.

"Yeah… I assumed that was coming…" Edward mumbled, leaning back against the wall and resting his forehead in his hand. "Roy told me about it while we were walking." He straightened up again, clearing his throat. "I'm going to go to the bathroom before dinner. I'll help you cook tonight, okay, Roy?" Before he walked up the stairs to their bathroom, he glanced back at his lover and smiled weakly at him, then continued along his way.

The light in the upstairs hall was on this time. He couldn't remember if it had been on before they'd left or not, but that wasn't surprising; he'd still been half asleep and shocked by Roy's actions at the time. He was expecting laughter or voices, but neither of the two came. He was pleasantly surprised by this. Until he got to the bathroom, that was.

Written in blood on the wall of the shower- the shower that he and Roy had made a few happy memories in- were the words '_Uh-oh. Guess I fucked up a little, huh, Daddy?'_ His eyes widened, breath catching in his throat. He blinked… and the words were gone. His breath was starting to come faster now, out and back in before he'd really even finished exhaling.

"_Roy!" _He barely had enough air for it. His head was starting to spin, probably from lack of oxygen. He managed to take a few steps back before he landed on the floor hard, propped up on his hands. From his left, he heard what sounded like two people thundering up the stairs hurriedly. Someone hit the floor right in front of him, but his vision was swimming and dotted with black, so he couldn't really focus on who it was. He barely felt hands cup the sides of his face, tilting his head back. Probably so whoever it was could get a better look at him.

"Edward? Come on. I'm here. Just calm down before you pass out." The voice he could place; it was Roy. And what the man said reminded him that he was hyperventilating. Edward took a deep breath, trying to even them out. It worked, and after a moment, he was breathing normally again and his vision was starting to clear once more. He leaned even more heavily back against his hands, dropping his legs to the floor so his knees were still together. Roy hadn't dropped his hands from his face even now when he'd calmed down. His eyes slowly closed, breathing even again.

"It was just… words on the shower wall. It looked like they were in blood; they were still dripping and running, at least. It said 'Uh-oh. Guess I fucked up a little, huh, Daddy?'"

Roy looked over his shoulder into the bathroom, but he didn't see what Edward was talking about. There was nothing but clear, clean walls. It must have been what they were talking about earlier; things that weren't there- _couldn't _be there- but could be seen anyways. At least by the elder Elric.

"Daddy was on the wall at one of the houses…" the general murmured, looking back to his younger lover.

"Yeah." Ed answered shortly, hands tightening into fists on the floor. Obviously, he was the one being referred to as 'Daddy,' if these strange things he was seeing were anything to go by. And, usually, they were. But Nich- "Where's Nicholas?" he asked, suddenly panicked, looking around wildly as if his son were somewhere in the hallway.

"Don't worry, Brother!" Suddenly, Alphonse was beside him as well. That would explain the two sets of footsteps coming up the stairs. "Mei is taking care of him downstairs. Last I checked, she was feeding him," he assured his older brother, laying a comforting hand on his shoulder. Edward breathed a long sigh of relief, shoulders slumping as he relaxed.

"Good. She seems to be taking care of him a lot lately, huh? I've just been sleeping," he mumbled dejectedly, closing his eyes again. "I'm a terrible father."

"No, Ed, you're not a terrible father. You've just been feeling ill lately. It's perfectly understandable to have someone else help you take care of your child when you're feeling under the weather." Al said calmly, shaking his head and settling on the floor beside his elder brother.

After a moment, Edward sat up straighter again, a determined grin on his face. "I'm going to find who's doing this. Even if I have to do it all alone. And when I find them… well, you better believe I'm going to let them have it for what they've done," he said, the determination from his grin filling his voice.

In front of him, Roy smiled fondly; that was the Ed he knew. "I have no doubt you're going to do just what you say."

**~;~;~;~;~;~;~;**

For the rest of the evening, he had taken care of Nicholas by himself, giving him a bath and helping him along to the world of dreams by singing softly to him, then settling him down into his crib. Now, exhausted out of his mind yet again, Ed was resting against Roy's chest as the elder man read. One of the other's arms was firmly around him, his ankles twined between the man's legs.

"Ed." The sound of his lover's voice had him looking up sleepily, eyes half-lidded from how tired he was. "It's okay, you know."

"What do you mean?" the blond asked quietly, not bothering to stifle it when he yawned this time.

"To hurt. It's okay to hurt. You don't have to bottle all your feelings inside. You can show them to us every once in a while." Roy elaborated, turning a page in his book as if he'd never stopped reading. Even while he was talking.

Edward frowned up at him, blinking in question. "But I'm not-"

"Yes, you are. I can see it. I'm pretty sure Al can see it, too. Even if others can't… well, we're close to you. We'd be able to tell no matter how hard you tried to hide it." Roy sighed and closed the book on his finger. "You always try to hide things from us. What you're feeling. What you're thinking. What's happening to you. You don't have to, Ed. We're here for you. We love you, and we want to know what's going on. We want to… No, we _need _to help you. That's what family does for each other, and I like to think I'm considered part of your family."

"Of course you are… But you know how I am. Roy, I don't want to trouble you."

"Trust me, Ed, you won't cause me any trouble by letting me in. In fact, it's quite the opposite. That's exactly what I want you to do."

Edward heaved a sigh, relaxing against Roy's chest again. "Fine. I'll start opening up to you now. If it will make you happy. Just let me sleep."

The dark-haired man smiled fondly, opening his book again. "Goodnight, love."

"Love you, too, bastard. G'night."

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><p><strong>So, what did you think? Any and all kinds of feedback are appreciated. If you decide to flame or whatever... Well, you know what I'll do with them; shove them up your ass~ <strong>

**Thank you for reading, and hopefully enjoying! Now, I am going back to my Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, cause I bought the first and second parts Monday and now I'm watching them to death. **

**Don't forget to review!**

**hugs&kisses~ Madarao  
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	4. Chapter 4

**I'm sorry to say this, but... it's another short chapter! D= Since school has started, chapters probably won't be between 5,000 and 6,000 words, but more between 4,000 and 6,000 words. I literally only had MAYBE half of the dream done during the whole week. Most of this was typed yesterday and today. I have... well, I think every class- save for electives- is Pre-AP (AP will be eleventh) so my workload is bigger than the standard one. And I forgot to do my homework... And my head hurts... so I'm going to NOT ramble, so I can finish this, get it published, do my homework, and go to sleep.**

**Disclaimer: NO OWNZ. Jesus Christ, how many times will I say this?**

**Warnings: Foul language is a given. More creepiness, so: S-chama, get your golf club; Tamyou, resurrect the pillow and grab it; Amber... read with lights on, a blanket, and possibly a gun. I don't know if people over there do it like we do it around here, but guns are always the answer. OOC Ed (but, c'mon, his mind is being fucked with.) Oh~ And the little trick up my sleeve is making its first real appearance. **

**Enjoy~**_  
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><p><em>The hallway was insanely long, but for whatever reason, he knew that he had to get to the door at the end of it. When walking didn't seem to do much good, he took off running; the door only got further away as the hallways grew longer. Edward felt frustration boil in his stomach as he ran harder, breath coming out roughly. Finally, he skidded to a stop, panting heavily, and spun in a circle.<em>

_The walls weren't as close as they'd been in the alley between the buildings, but they were still pretty close. It was very dimly lit, the most light coming from the far end. The air was extremely thick and he almost felt as if he were suffocating. Running probably hadn't been the best decision on his part. When he put a hand on the wall to steady his dizzy head, it was like an ice cube under his fingers- slick and freezing. Quickly, he jerked the hand back, looking around again. _

"_Hello?" His voice echoed hollowly back to him. It was unusually eerie; echoes weren't usually creepy, but it was exceptionally so this time. "What's going on here?" he tried, and it echoed back again. _

"_What's going on here?" It was the same voice that had taunted him first in his dreams and then in his reality, this time mocking him. He couldn't tell where it was coming from because of the echo, though. _

_Edward swallowed hard and straightened up again, squaring his shoulders. "Oh, so it's you again."_

"_Yeah, so it's me again~" came the reply in a mocking tone. _

_He growled, eyes shifting around to search for any sign of movement. "Are you just going to mock me all day, or are you going to get a set and actually face me?" he snapped, tightening his fists at his sides. After the echo, it was completely silent, and the air seemed even thicker. When nothing happened for a few solid minutes, he started to think nothing else __**would**__ happen, though the creepy atmosphere wouldn't allow him to relax in the slightest. _

_It was a good thing he didn't, else he would have been so startled that he would have left his skin behind and clung to the ceiling. Standing in front of him was his double, so close that their noses were touching. Ed jumped back, shoulder blades slamming into the hard, icy wall behind him. The double sneered, swinging a whip in his hand. _

"_Says the little scaredy cat," said the other in a taunting tone, cackling as he slapped the whip against the palm of his hand. He was dressed as if he were the ring master at a circus or the host of a fair, from the top of his tall hat to the toes of his shined shoes. He was decked out in a red as bright as blood, much like the coat Edward had worn for years on his journey to return his brother to the flesh. In fact, there were very few articles that weren't red. The button-down shirt underneath the jacket was stark white. His shoes were as black as a starless, moonless night in Risembool. Amongst the red, he could barely make out a darker shade, and he was fairly sure that it was purple along the hat above the brim and that the bowtie around his neck was purple_

"_It's normal to be startled when someone is suddenly directly behind you." He defended himself, shivering in the freezing hall. "It doesn't make me a scaredy cat." _

"_You keep thinking that, Ed, but we both know you're absolutely terrified. But you know you don't have to be scared of __**me**__; I'm __**you**__, after all. You're just afraid of what I can- and will- do to your family." _

"_Why would I be scared of you? You're not real; the only place you exist is in my head, and the only place you can bother me is in my dreams."_

_The second Edward burst out laughing, slapping the whip against his left knee hard. "Oh, you are so fucking stupid! I thought you were a lot smarter and would have figured it out by now! Am I really this slow?" the other asked, frowning and tapping his chin. "Ah, well. Questions for later. Right now, we have business to attend to." Just like the ring master he was dressed like, he held out an arm in gesture, stepping aside and bowing slightly. There was a door behind where he'd just stood. It hadn't been there before, which sort of puzzled him. _

"_When did tha-"_

"_No questions until the end of the tour, thank you~" the duplicate replied, flicking his wrist slightly. The door swung open, even without being touched by anyone. _

_The room was dark, even darker than the hall. He squinted his eyes trying to focus and make out __**anything**__ in the room. Nothing. "I don't see anything," he stated in an obvious tone of voice. _

"_Good." He snapped his fingers and the room was lit up with bright light. It took a moment for Ed's eyes to adjust to the sudden brightness, but he could finally make out everything. First and foremost was Roy. He was tied to a chair, wrists and ankles bound with rope as was his torso and thighs. His mouth was covered with a bandana- the one that had been left on top of their dresser from when Edward used it to hold his bangs off of his sweaty forehead while training. Black eyes were locked with his own- huge and pleading for help, terrified. "You can save him," the Edward clone informed him cheerfully, flicking his wrist once more. The bandana fell from around the dark-haired man's mouth and fluttered onto his lap._

"_Edward!" It was the first thing to leave Roy's mouth and he looked as if he was trying to come towards him. _

"_Roy!" he immediately called back, taking a quick step forward and reaching out for him. _

"_Nah-uh-uh~ You'll want to see the other prize before you make any rash decisions." The hall seemed to turn one hundred and eighty degrees, but Ed didn't even move. Neither did his duplicate. That hand was still gesturing to the wall, arm outstretched. There was a door there, too. It was right where his back would have hit earlier. The left wrist jerked, flinging this door open as well. It was just like the last time, dark then suddenly brightly lit with a snap of the other's fingers. _

_Behind this door was Alphonse, but he wasn't bound in the same way Roy was, and he wasn't gagged either. "Brother!" he screamed, jerking roughly. His ankles were tied, but that was about the only thing that was similar. Al was dangled from the ceiling, rope holding his arms to his sides. If he had his guess, he'd say the young Elric's wrists were bound behind his back as well. Below him, it looked as if spikes of varying sizes had been transmuted. The sharp points were practically glinting in the light. _

"_Alphonse!" Edward yelled desperately, looking to his double. "Why are you doing this?" he asked weakly. _

"_Because it's fun~" the other replied, grinning wickedly. _

"_You're sick!"_

"_Make your decision, Edward. Roy… or Alphonse?"_

In the darkness, Edward gasped and his eyes snapped open. Eyes as golden as his own were staring down into his, sneering at him silently. He sucked in a breath and screamed loudly. The next moment, when he blinked, the eyes were gone. Roy was trying to comfort him, hand brushing Ed's bangs back and brushing long fingers across the other's cheek. He was saying something, too, but the blond couldn't tell what it was in his current state.

Regardless, he grabbed onto Roy's wrist with his flash hand, feeling for any sign that ropes had been there as he pulled him forward and wrapped his free arm around the man's neck. He felt his eyes well with tears, a lump forming in his throat. A sob forced its way out of his mouth, much as he tried to keep it down.

"A-again, Roy. I-It happened a-again," he stammered, squeezing his eyes closed. "I-I c-can't do th-this anymore. I-I'm so sc-scared. I can't e-even sleep."

Roy rubbed a hand up and down his back, the other in his hair. His lips were at the blond's ear, moving slightly as he murmured in the ear. "You don't have to be scared. I'll protect you, no matter what. Please, Edward, don't say that you can't do this." He hated hearing his young lover sound so defeated. It made him worry that Ed would try something again; that, one day, he'd come home to find his lover dead. He felt reluctant to let the blond out of his sight, let alone leave him at home by himself.

To that, Edward merely shook his head against his lover's shoulder, his sobs getting louder with every passing moment. His nails dug into Roy's back as he moved closer, muffling the sounds against the other's skin.

Much as he hadn't wanted to, Roy had to leave Edward at the house the next morning when he went to work. The blond had been so exhausted, ill-feeling, and scatter-brained that he'd tripped down the stairs, spilled steaming coffee in his own lap and _barely _even noticed he'd done it, walked into a wall, and forgot he wasn't wearing anything but his boxers and one of Roy's button-down shirts. He really didn't have much of a choice but to leave Ed to catch up on his sleep.

To be honest, he was more than worried for the man now; he was _scared _for him. Even if the things he was seeing weren't real- and he wasn't sure which way it went- he was convinced that they were and they were keeping him awake and on-edge. It wasn't good for his health or his mind.

Take last night for example. Edward had woken up screaming again. Then, when Roy had tried to comfort, he'd wound up sobbing into his chest for hours until he fell asleep right where he was. The rest of the night, he'd been restless, tossing and turning. He'd waking up fully when Roy had gotten up and the bed shifted under his weight.

Roy set his pen down on his desk and buried his face in his hands. After all, he was alone in the room; there were no subordinates to bug him and no Riza to threaten him to get back to work. They were on lunch break, though he hadn't felt hungry and declined offers to go with them.

He didn't hear the door open, nor the sharp clack of heels on the hard floor. Only when the person who'd entered quietly cleared their throat did he realize that he was no longer by himself. Roy lifted his head, tiredly looking up at the person standing straight and tall in front of his desk. It was Riza. He swallowed hard and picked up his pen again.

"Sorry, sorry. I'm working again, Hawkeye." Roy immediately murmured, setting the tip of the pen against the paper.

"Sir, you seem troubled," she stated the obvious, hands in front of her for once as she played with her fingers.

"What? Oh, I'm fine."

"I know you very well. You're not acting like yourself." It was said firmly, and her arms were crossed over her chest.

"It's just… Edward," he answered after a moment, tapping the end of his pen against the desk. "He's not sleeping well at night, and he's been acting sick. It started after Winry… I'm worried about him." He sighed heavily and shook his head. "I've no clue what to do. I don't think a doctor would help at this point, and he refuses to go to one, anyways. He insists he's not sick… and I believe him."

"Have you talked to him and asked him what he thinks is wrong?"

"Yes. He says… Well, he basically told me he's seeing things that aren't there. Or, the way he put it, shouldn't be there, but are. And I believe him; I don't think he's going insane."

"Sir… That sounds… kind of crazy." Riza replied, though her voice was free of any tone of judgment. She sighed and shook her head. "But maybe you should leave early and go see about him. You can take your paperwork home so you don't have to catch up on it."

That surprised him; if he'd expected anything, he _certainly _hadn't expected Riza to allow him to leave early. "Really?" he asked, the shock from his expression leaking into his voice and coloring it.

"Yes, sir. I can see this is distressing you; if you're distressed and distracted, then you're not on top of your game. Go home, take care of Edward, and come back Monday feeling more confident that Ed will be able to take care of himself and won't do anything rash," she replied evenly. It always amazed him how she seemed to merely read his mind like that, for he hadn't said anything about worrying if Ed would try anything like he had approximately a week ago when Winry had tried to take Nicholas.

Roy smiled up at her, dropping the pen again. "Thank you," he told her sincerely, standing and hugging her. "You've always been there for me…" he added, then let her go and gathered the stack of files he'd have to finish at home over the weekend. "I'll see you Monday morning."

"See you then, General," she replied quietly, turning halfway to watch his back as he disappeared out of the door. "He cares too much."

Edward spent most of the morning asleep. An hour before noon, he woke up, went to the bathroom, and shuffled downstairs for something to drink. He'd dropped the glass on the hard floor, causing it to shatter and splatter juice everywhere. Instead of asking Alphonse for help cleaning it up- his vision was still blurry from sleep, and his hands were shaking- he bent down and began gingerly picking up the shards. As careful as he was, one piece slashed through his index finger. He gasped, jerking his hand back to look at the wound. It wasn't too bad and it didn't really hurt, so he shrugged his shoulders and kept picking the glass after he'd sucked the blood from the tip of his finger.

At the garbage can, before he tossed them into the bag, he stared silently at the pieces. As if on impulse, Ed took one of the medium-sized pieces, dropped the rest into the can, and carefully put the one he'd grabbed into the shirt pocket of Roy's button-up. Then he grabbed a dishtowel and cleaned up the spilled juice as well.

Deciding against getting another glass since his hands were still shaking and he didn't want to drop that one, too, Edward trudged back upstairs, feeling sluggish. He reached into the shirt pocket and pulled out the shard when he was nearly to his and Roy's room, looking between it and the small cut on his finger as he sat down on the edge of their bed.

Hadn't he promised Roy he wouldn't cut himself again? Granted, the one on his finger was a complete accident and he knew the dark-haired man would understand that, but how would he be able to explain taking a piece of glass? The action alone was damning enough without knowing the sudden intentions that had come to mind. At first, he hadn't known why he'd placed it in his pocket or what he planned to do with it, but now… His head was spinning with thoughts of what he could do with it.

Slowly, he rolled the sleeve of Roy's shirt up, staring at the tan skin on the inside of his arm. After a moment, he lifted the other hand- the one holding the sharp shard- and pressed it against his skin, close to the inside of the elbow. The pliant skin dented under it, stinging just slightly. He flexed his fingers, frozen right here. Should he?

Edward pulled the glass away from his skin, opened the dresser drawer, and pulled out a small bag that he usually kept extra pens and pencils in during his travels. He opened it and dropped the shard inside, then closed it again, put it back in the drawer, and lay down on the bed on his right side, staring at his cut finger. It wasn't bleeding anymore save for a tiny bit, so he stuck it in his mouth and sucked the blood away, closing his eyes.

He was exhausted, as per usual now. His entire body ached, his head spun whenever he stood. Currently, his head was killing him, which worsened whenever he coughed. He put a hand under his pillow, pulling it closer as he slid his legs under the blankets, trying to get warm. He was shivering, chill bumps rising on every inch of visible, bare skin.

After a few minutes, he wound up dozing off; a miracle, if you asked him. It was hard to ignore the constant shivering and pain in his head. Not to mention he was still coughing. Lips suddenly pressed to his forehead, whoever it was probably thinking he was deeply asleep. His eyes fluttered for a moment, then opened all the way. Roy was staring down at him, a worried expression on his face.

"What's wrong?" he asked, voice raspy from having been coughing.

"Your forehead is hot." Roy murmured, sitting down on the edge and pressing a cool hand to the blond's forehead under his bangs. "It feels like you have a fever, Ed. Have you been feeling sick today?"

"I've been feeling sick for days, Roy." Edward coughed into the crook of his elbow, grimacing. Now his throat was beginning to hurt slightly. He must have been dozing for longer than he thought.

"Have you been feeling worse today? When did you start coughing?" the man pressed, feeling of Edward's cheeks and forehead again. He definitely felt as if he had a fever. A high one, at that.

"Well… Yeah, kind of. My whole body just… hurts. My head is even worse. And I'm freezing. Could you get me another blanket?"

"Edward, I think you've come down with something." Roy told him, knowing the boy would argue the point to death. He was rummaging in the closet for a spare blanket or two, trying to warm his young lover up. He threw them over the blond, on top of the blankets that were normally on their bed.

"I'm not sick, Roy. I'm just… Just…" He sneezed loudly, head flying forward and ponytail falling loose from the force. He groaned, holding his head in his hands. "I need a tissue."

"Just a minute." Roy left, but returned only moments later with a box of tissues from the bathroom. He handed Edward one, watching the young alchemist blow his nose. He could see the grimace that the other tried to hide. "Your head?" he asked, though he already knew the answer.

"Yes." Ed muttered bitterly, tossing the used tissue onto the nightstand. "We'll need to move a trash can in here for the tissues." He sniffed. Noticing that his nose was running, he grabbed another tissue and wiped it, sighing. "I guess I am getting sick…" he mumbled unhappily, leaning back into the headboard.

"Let me go get something for the trash. I'll be right back." With that, Roy left the room again. It was longer before he returned this time, but when he did, he set the trash can on the floor beside his lover, sat on his side of the bed, and draped an arm over Edward's shoulders, pulling him closer.

"Don't." Ed murmured, pushing him away lightly. "I don't want you to get sick, too. Whatever this is."

Roy simply kissed his cheek in reply, close to the corner of his mouth. "I don't care," he whispered, smiling at him.

Edward chuckled lightly, but broke it off soon. It hurt his head even more, and caused him to cough again, this time into the tissue he'd used to wipe his nose. "If you get sick, don't blame me." He yawned, leaning into his lover and closing his eyes again. "I'm still tired," he mumbled, relaxing.

"Then go back to sleep. I'll be here with a warm bowl of chicken noodle soup when you wake up."

"Chicken noodle soup _is _the best remedy." Edward replied quietly, lying down under the covers, settling his head onto the pillow so he was close to Roy's legs. "Promise you'll be here?" he asked, laying a hand on Roy's knee.

"Of course." Roy leaned over to press another kiss to Edward's burning forehead. Until his young lover fell asleep, he didn't dare move, save to soothingly run his fingers through strands of long blond hair. The hair tie had long been lost, so he'd have to find another for him.

Eventually, the other's breathing evened out as he fell asleep, mouth falling open to compensate for the fact that he was having trouble breathing through his nose. Roy smiled at the small, quiet snoring before he got up to leave the room. After all, he _had _promised chicken noodle soup.

Edward woke up disoriented, wondering just where he was and why he was awake already. He'd been sleeping well, showing no signs of waking up for a long while yet. And then, suddenly, his eyes opened, showing bleary eyes.

He propped up on his elbow, rubbing one eye and glancing around. After a moment, he recognized Roy's things and realized he was in their room, on their bed, drenched in sweat. What he did not remember was the mirror near the foot of the bed, for his reflection was staring back at him…

Actually, he didn't remember having stood up, either. Nor did he remember putting on his leather pants and tank top. He frowned, rubbing his eyes. That was what really tipped him off. The 'reflection' at the foot of the bed didn't move its hands. Edward froze, mouth falling open. Then, the blond at the foot of the bed moved towards the door, though his movements weren't fast. It was as if there was something wrong with him…

"Hey!" he tried to yell, but it came out raspy and weak. Golden eyes flew back to him, head turning… and then the thing _grinned. _It was the same grin from his dreams. The one that had haunted him every time he closed his eyes and made shivers run up and down his spine.

"Hi to you, too, Daddy~" Its voice was just as raspy as his own, as if it had fallen ill, too. But then it hurried off, moving faster now. It looked as if it were a chore to do so, though.

For a few long minutes, Edward just sat on the bed, eyes flickering between the foot of the bed where the other person had stood just a short time before, and the door where he had disappeared. And then it really sunk in. That had been _him _standing there. His head spun, and so did the room. It had been him, and it had also been the other him that had called him 'Daddy.' It had been the person from the traumatizing nightmares, the one threatening his family. He put a hand on the nightstand, trying to pull himself to his feet to go get Roy. It had been _that person- _whoever he was- that had been committing all these crimes.

The floor was cold against the bottom of his right foot. He was staggering, catching onto the doorframe weakly. His head lifted, eyes scanning the space between where he was and the staircase. Even if he could make it there, he wasn't sure he could get down without tripping and falling on his face. He frowned, unsure of what to do and still trying to process what had just happened.

His eyes misted over, tearing up as he finally realized… That was a copy of himself. A clone. A duplicate. Whatever you wanted to call it. He felt sick to his stomach at even the thought, and the organ gave a painful lurch. Remembering the trash can for tissues, he turned and, with much more energy than he felt he had, hurried over to it, dropping loudly to his knees beside it. It seemed he made it just in time, as his stomach gave a strong heave the moment he grabbed the sides, causing him to gag and retch into the can.

It only took a few more seconds of coughing and sputtering before he finished, though it felt like it took like minutes. He panted, wiping his mouth on the back of his hand. Someone placed hands on either side of his waist, causing him to jump nearly a foot in the air and lurch away, slamming into the nightstand as he whirled around. Wide, startled black eyes were staring at him, the owner frozen right where he was, hands still where they would have been had he still been holding Ed's waist. The blond panted harder, shook his head, and sniffed loudly, wiping his nose and eyes on his sleeve. It seemed the tears decided to go AWOL… and climb over his bottom eyelid, throw ropes over, and slither down his cheeks, racing with the others to see who would be the first to get to his chin.

"E-Ed?" Roy's voice shook when he spoke, showing just how shaken the blond's behavior was making him.

"H-he was h-here." Edward replied quietly, voice trembling and breaking.

"Who?"

He cleared his painful throat, swallowed hard, and took a shaky breath. "I was."

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><p><strong>So... I bet no one really figured it out, huh? Actually, cynder may have guessed it... If you did, cynder, congrats~ This should probably be under Supernatural, too (not the show, just the genre) but I knew that would give it right away and what fun would that be? -giggles evilly- <strong>

**Anyways, there will, eventually, be a new chapter. Also, someone (I _think _it was cynder but I can't really remember because it's been a while and my thoughts are flying everywhere) is already talking about another part to the Memories series. Are you guys thinking about that, too? Because I had no idea there was going to be another part! xD **

**Please review, even if you never have before. Reviews make me feel loved, which makes me write. If you don't review for me, then why should I write for you? So... REVIEW! Please. ='D**

**hugs&kisses~ Madarao**


	5. Chapter 5

**I cannot BELIEVE we are back to UNDER 3,000 words! Hell, we're even under 2,500 words! I feel so ashamed and terrible and I wish one of you people would stab me with my own pencil! This was NOT worth making you wait as long as I did. But, in my defense, school has started. I have band practice after school. And I usually have quite a bit of homework. Not to mention I was fairly sure I was going to fail math last six weeks. D= BUT, I am definitely going to try to update more often now. **

**For one, I received a review just a few hours ago from someone- it was an unsigned review- who had it bookmarked on their phone, then removed it, and ran across the name of my story today. After remembering they liked it, they pulled it up, and then remembered why they'd removed it: It wasn't updated enough. I'd just like to let the anonymous reviewer know that I usually update regularly, though I haven't had time to do it with this story. The two before it were updated nearly every week. **

**Oh, and I was working on a story in honor of October 3rd- we should ALL know what that is- but it doesn't look like it will be done in time. D= Sadness!  
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**Enough of my rambling! **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fullmetal Alchemist. Got it memorized?**

**Warnings: Foul language. You... are gonna be fucking SHOCKED. So just read and you'll figure out any warnings I've forgotten. xD  
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><p>"Edward, that doesn't even make proper sense." Roy dropped his hands into his lap and settled back into a sitting position.<p>

The blond and nibbled on his bottom lip. There was still a foul taste in his mouth, and he wished he had something to wash it out with. "There was someone standing at the foot of our bed. I didn't get a real good look until he was at the door, but… but it was me, Roy. He looked exactly like me."

It looked as if the older man was trying to come up with some kind of explanation. "Maybe it was Alphonse…"

"No, it wasn't Al. He looked like me in every single way. His eyes were the same color as mine, shades lighter than Al's. His hair was even pulled back in a braid! It was _me, _Roy!" Edward leaned heavily back against the nightstand he'd slammed into minutes before. Shivers racked his body and he pulled his legs up, trying to get warm.

"It was dark, Ed. You can't know that for sure."

"I saw him by the light of the hallway. And he called me daddy. Al wouldn't have done something like that. I'm telling you, it looked like me. If you don't believe me… Well, I can't do anything about that." He grabbed onto the edge of the mattress and pulled himself unsteadily to his feet, swayed for a moment before collapsing heavily on the bed. As he leaned back against his pillow and pulled the heavy blankets over his bare legs again, his eyes shifted down to Roy, who was staring up at him from the floor.

"… I believe you." Roy leaned over and put a hand on top of the other's. "Even if it sounds absolutely insane and no one else thinks so, I think you're telling the truth." He climbed up on the edge of the bad and moved his hand to the boy's cheek.

Edward glanced away and murmured, "Thank you."

"Your skin feels cooler now. Your fever's probably gone down some. Are you hungry?" the dark-haired man asked, changing the subject.

If he were being completely honest, like he'd promised he would be, he would have told Roy that he wasn't. But he also didn't want to make his lover worry about him. More than he already was worrying, that was. "Uhm, sure. I could go for something…" he replied quietly, sniffling.

Roy smiled slightly and kissed Edward's forehead. "You liar. You forget how well I know you." Then he got to his feet and carefully picked up the trash can. "I'm just going to clean this out, then I'll bring you a bowl of soup."

"Okay…" With that, Roy left the room.

"Are you _sure _you're ready for this? I mean… you still look exhausted, Edward." A worried Roy was leaning against the doorframe of the bathroom, arms crossed firmly over his broad chest as he watched Edward draw his blond hair back into a messy ponytail. Golden eyes flickered over to him in the mirror, then rolled. There were dark circles under them.

"I'll be fine, Roy. I was ready to get out and about five days ago."

"Ed, you first got sick _six _days ago," the dark-haired man pointed out, frowning deeply at his younger lover in a disapproving fashion.

"You just proved my point for me." The ponytail swung as the young alchemist shook his head and turned to face the door. "Look, it's not even that challenging a mission. I'll be in and right back out just as fast. And I'll call every single night, okay? Trust me, I'll be fine," he assured the older man, laying his hands on the other's chest as he stretched up on his toes. Lightly, he placed a kiss to the other's lips before settling on the flats of his feet again.

There was reluctance in those night-dark eyes. Then the general sighed and dropped his head. "Alright. So long as you actually keep those promises."

"I will. Meet me at the train station when I get home?"

"As always."

It had barely been a day since Edward had left for his mission. Just like Roy had known, the man hadn't called. As always, he was worried, but he had no number to call. At least he knew Ed could properly take care of himself. Even if he'd recovered from a bad case of the flu scarcely three days ago.

So when the door was knocked on, he didn't except to see the person standing on the stoop. Edward grinned his usual, cheery grin, hands buried in his pockets and travelling coat flapping off to his side. "Hiya, Roy."

"… You weren't supposed to be back yet."

"Eh, I got stopped in one of the train stations last night by another soldier. Told that the matter had been taken care of and I could return home. I would've been back sooner, but the return train was delayed. What? Got a hot date tonight?" the other teased lightly, pushing past the general and into the house. "Damn! It's warm in here. Definitely preferable to the temperature out there."

"Have you been smoking something?" The general closed the door behind Edward, frowning deeply. The boy was certainly acting a lot more like himself than he had been for the past few weeks. Such a sudden mood change was odd and unnerving, to say the least.

"Of course I haven't been. I just had some time to myself on the train to think, and I've decided that I can calm down some. That's all." Ed replied smoothly, shrugging his coat off and tossing it on the rack. "Now why don't you give me a nice hello?" Without warning, he grabbed onto his lover's shirt collar and roughly pulled him forward, smothering the man's lips with his own. He spun them around so Roy was pushed against the wall, eyes fluttering closed. Damn, the man tasted good. Even with that little hint that told him the general had been drinking again. But it wasn't _his _place to tell him no.

He slipped his tongue out, using that to pry Roy's lips open and push inside. Edward ran his tongue along the man's smooth teeth, the inside of his cheek, against his tongue. He felt the man's hands slide down his sides and come to a rest on his hips. Breathless, their lips broke apart, the younger's going down the slope of a pale neck. For a moment, he sucked on a spot he assumed was sensitive, if the noises Roy was making was anything to go by, hands sliding up into the man's hair…

Then he roughly slammed the general's head back against the wall. The thud was enough to let him know that, unless Roy was superhuman, he should be out cold by now. Then Edward grinned, watching the dark-haired man slide down the wall to the floor. The grin wasn't Ed's. It was the one from the picture frame in the dream. The one from _all _of the dreams.

"Those memories do _not _do you justice, Roy. I mean, _damn. _We didn't even get you naked, and I can already imagine what you looked like under all that. And the way you kiss? May not mind that," he mused aloud to the unconscious man, pulling a slip of paper out of his coat pocket and dropping it onto the table in the hall. Then he pulled the coat back on over his shoulders and sighed. "And now here comes the fun part. This was always what I was looking forward to, ya know? Dragging you out." Those were the last words he spoke in the house. He dropped down and heaved Roy halfway onto his back, the dead weight making him bend over practically double as he hauled the soldier through the house and out of the back door.

Now he really wished he'd decided to do this some place different. At least then he wouldn't be in the middle of a crowded neighborhood. There was one advantage of having Edward Elric's body: No one would question him being seen with Roy Mustang. Though the fact that he was dragging an unconscious Roy Mustang posed some questions. Which was answered with a simple, believable lie: Roy got shitfaced and passed out.

Oh what fun _this _game would be~

"Edward, I think you need to get home. _Now." _

The urgency in his brother's voice gave the elder Elric a pause. He stopped twirling the phone cord around his fingers for merely a moment, rolling it with his thumb against his flesh index finger. "But I've almost got this wrapped up. I can't just leave in the middle of a mission, Alphonse. Especially when I'm almost done," he protested quietly. After all, he was in a phone booth in the middle of a crowded street. While it was unlikely he could be heard by anyone on the street, he'd been left paranoid by the ordeals in Central.

"Roy is _gone, _Edward." Alphonse snapped over the line, urgency increasing tenfold.

"Wh-what?" His hand stilled, the cord slowly unwrapping from around his fingers. His heart nearly followed his hand's example, slowing, stuttering, and then continued to beat at a slowed pace.

"Mei and I went out for lunch. When we got back, Roy wasn't here. There was just a note on the table."

"You scared the shit out of me, Al! If there was a note, then he intends on coming back."

"It was your handwriting, Edward. And it was _signed _with your name."

Edward froze where he was, the cord hitting the floor with a soft noise. His eyes were locked on something outside of the window, though he couldn't exactly tell what it was with the combination of his shock and the rain streaking along the glass. "Wh-what?" he finally managed to stutter, his entire world shattering around. "B-but I've been here! Oh my god… It must have been him…" The realization hit him like a train. The person he'd seen at the foot of his bed a few nights ago. The one he s_wore _up and down was none other than he himself.

"Wait, what? Him who?" Alphonse asked, voice rising an octave.

"I'll explain when I get back home. I'm on my way, taking the next train out." Hell, he'd _walk _the entire distance to Central in one night if that was what it took. "Bye, Al." With that, he put the phone down and went upstairs for his unpacked suitcase.

How _dare _that… that Edward or crazy imposter or whoever the fuck he was think he could so much as pluck a hair from Roy's head and not suffer the intense wrath of Edward Elric. The _real _Edward Elric. He was done hiding in the shadows. Done cowering behind Roy every time a shadow shifted. Now his shield had been stolen from him, and he was _not _going to stand for that. Whoever the fuck was doing this was about to have his ass handed to him by a v_ery _pissed off Elric.

The train ride took well longer than it should have. At least, it felt like it did when he'd been awake. Most of the ride, he'd been passed out on his suitcase. Edward hadn't gotten much sleep while he'd been working, considering how much he threw himself into it, and that seemed like the perfect time to catch up on it. As worried as he'd been, he knew there was no way he'd be any good to Roy if he was reduced to the walking dead.

"Edward!" Alphonse raced up to his brother as soon as the elder stepped off of the train. Mei, Nicholas in her arms- he'd been left in their care while his father was out of town- wasn't far behind. Both of them looked worried, but not near as worried as Edward felt.

"Daddy!" Nicholas cried, reaching out for his father.

Edward immediately reached out and took his son into his arms, holding him close and closing his eyes.

"Roy hasn't come home, Daddy! Where he go?" Nikki asked, patting Edward's cheek with one hand. The young boy had, after a period of time and much work on the man's part, taken a liking to his father's boyfriend. Roy would bounce him on his knee, read to him, and Edward had even walked in on him playing peek-a-boo with the young boy once.

"He took him, Nicholas. The bad man took him. But Daddy's going to find him and bring him back home safe, okay?" Ed assured him, glancing up at Alphonse, who looked as if he had something to say. "Something on your mind, Al?"

"Who took him, Daddy?" Nicholas cried, a look of shock only a child could pull off on his face.

"Whoever it was left a letter, like I said. I've got it here, if you want it. And I was wondering what you meant by 'him' last night." Alphonse answered, pulling a folded piece of paper from inside his coat pocket and holding it out to his brother.

Immediately, Edward took it and opened it with one hand, ignoring the other's question for the moment. "Me," he finally answered, sighing heavily. "Or… someone who looks exactly like me, or something like that. And I've only got seven days to figure out who the _hell _he is and where the fuck he's keeping Roy before… well, before he kills Roy." His voice was tight, as if he were trying very hard to control himself and not break down into tears. "I just don't see how there could suddenly be another me running around!"

"Uhm… Ed… There's something I should probably tell you…" Alphonse spoke up hesitantly, looking at the ground.


	6. Chapter 6

**I wrote this on vacation. We chillaxed, which means I wrote. And watched Digimon: The Movie and The Lion King 1 and 2. I actually got writer's block at one point, watched Digimon, and got inspired again. xD So, yeah, don't doubt the powers of Digimon. And I no longer have an R key...  
><strong>

**Anywho, you've waited long enough and I'm sure you don't want to wait any longer, so let's get on with it. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fullmetal Alchemist, nor any characters/themes associated with it. **

**Warnings: Foul language, forced sex, etc. etc. You know what to expect from me.  
><strong>

* * *

><p>"You did what now?"<p>

"Please don't make me explain it all again." Alphonse fidgeted nervously under his elder brother's stern gaze.

"Alright. Fine then. Why would you do something like that when you didn't even know the price? What if you'd had to give up everything my sacrifice gave you? How would I feel?" Edward asked harshly, gnashing his teeth.

"I… I just wanted you to remember. I wanted everything to be set right again and for you and Roy to be happy." The younger defended himself weakly, absolutely refusing to look at Ed.

"Al, even if I was with Roy again, I couldn't be truly happy without you."

"But I'm still here, you remember again, and Roy's been taken by a crazed version of you who's already been running around killing people and will do who _knows _what to him! It's probably my fault for doing what I did, too…" After the long recap, Alphonse sighed heavily and slumped back into the couch cushions. "I have no idea where they might be, either."

Edward remained silent, staring down at the note in his lap as he played with the edge. The script covering the page was messy, save for the signature at the bottom. It was in beautiful script, and it was a flawless reproduction of his own. "Then Ed will just have to lead me to him," he responded matter-of-factly, as if it would be no problem.

Al stared at his brother as if he'd lost his mind. "Uhm… Okay, I get that your reputation is huge and you live up to it and everything, but I still don't see how even _you _could pull off something such as that."

Edward now regretted saying that, but he might as well explain it. "Well,sometimes… _he _comes to me in my dreams. They're more like nightmares, actually, but that's beside the point. He talks to me, hints at things I couldn't possibly know about." In one fluid motion, he stood from his chair and began pacing, fingers on his chin. "So, we're obviously connected. I don't… really know how, but if he can get into my head…" He slowed the pacing he'd begun, falling silent for a few moments. "Anyways, if I can somehow figure out this connection, then I can use it to my advantage, just like he does. Even if I can't _see _where he is, maybe I can trick it out of him or something."

"He's probably expecting that." Alphonse pointed out, frowning deep enough to form wrinkles on his youthfully smooth forehead.

"No, I don't think so…" He began pacing in front of the couch again, staring at the floor. "I have a theory. I was thinking about it while you were explaining what you'd done." His hand fell from his chin, making a small probably-meaningless gesture; when he spoke, it was only natural for him to wave his hands about like an idiot. "Not only did I leave my arm and leg in the Gate, but also a small part of my soul…with you, "he began carefully, rotating his wrist in a circular motion. "But where was it when I pulled your body back? It wasn't with you, so it had to have been syphoned out. If it was still in there when you brought back my memories, then maybe it found its way out, too. It's me, after all, but a younger, fouler version of me. So, it- he- would most likely be expecting a child-like response, because be thinks we think the same."

"And instead of you running around lashing out, you'll do this. He may not expect it and accidentally let something slip!" Al sat up straighter, smiling somewhat.

"Exactly!" Edward slammed his automail fist into the palm of his flesh hand. "I only have six days now. Six days to find Roy before the other Edward kills him. God knows what'll be done to him in the meantime…"

"Oooooooo~ Look who's decided to wake up!"

The voice belonged to Edward, but his eyes weren't adjusted enough to the dull light to actually see him. Something cold was pressed against his cheek, sliding along it.

"My original sure knows how to pick 'em, I'll give him that."

Roy blinked a few times, as his eyes had adjusted but his vision was blurry. When it finally cleared, he looked up at the face leaning over him. It certainly looked like Edward but, at the same time, it didn't. The features were the same, but the eyes… They were dark, violent; the eyes of a killer, even worse than the ones he'd seen during the Ishvallan War of Extermination.

"You're not Edward," he rasped, then cleared his throat.

"Close, but you're wrong," the person in front of him replied, straightening up. Now Roy could see what had been pressed against his cheek: A knife, polished and sharpened. "I _am _Edward, but not the one you're fucking every other night, though I would be _happy _to change that. But no. He's my original."

"Original?"

"I was formed from a small portion of his soul when I arrived in this world. I don't know all of the details, but those aren't important. What _is _important is that, if Ed doesn't find you in six days… I'm going to kill you." The grin that spread across his face was completely inhuman, . Even the teeth looked different from Edward's, somehow longer and sharper.

Roy looked away. "He'll find me. Just you wait."

"Shut up." The grin had disappeared. It was replaced by a snarling expression. "Don't be so sure about that. We're in the _last _place he'd ever even think to look."

Roy didn't say anything, but he knew Ed, and Ed would find him if it was the last thing he ever did. Fingers grabbed onto his chin roughly and tilted his head back. "Hm… I think I want to try you out for… size." He pushed the palm of his hand against the crotch of Roy's pants. "You want to get it up for me, or do I have to give you a little push?" he asked, arching a brow in the same way Ed always did.

"Neither." Roy bit out, looking towards a wall instead of at the clone.

"Alright then. A push it is~" He pulled something from the pocket of his pants, pulled the dark-haired man's bottom lip down, and stuck whatever it was in his mouth. "Since you're so convinced Ed will rescue you, make sure he hears about this when he does."

Edward yawned and pushed his sleeves up. "I'm going to bed. Maybe I can… I dunno… corner that son of a bitch," he announced as he stood up from his spot on the couch.

"Good luck." Alphonse replied, turning the page in his book.

He trooped upstairs to his and Roy's room, wondering if he'd even be able to fall asleep in an empty bed. After all, by this point, he was used to sleeping with his back against Roy's chest. His clone must have known that- must have known how much Roy meant to him- to have taken him away like that. He should have heeded the previous warning he'd been given.

He pushed the covers back and slid onto the bed, eyes already halfway closed. The bed was cold, which was something he wasn't used to at all. Usually, it was warmed by Roy's body heat. He pulled the blankets tightly around himself, letting his eyes fall closed. Maybe, just maybe, he could get to sleep without a familiar body next to him. He pulled Roy's pillow against his chest, over his nose. It smelled just like his lover, though it was still impossible to even pretend he wasn't alone in this bed.

It must have taken him no time to fall asleep, because the next thing he knew, the bed was shifting under the weight of another, rousing him from his sleep. What was odd was that, when he opened his eyes, it was so dark he couldn't really see anything without letting his eyes adjust.

Edward brought a hand from around the pillow and rubbed his eyes, yawning. "Alphonse?" he asked quietly, voice rough from where he'd just woken up. Next time he looked, he realized he was, indeed, wrong.

"Not quite, Daddy dearest." The figure came closer. He saw light glinting in golden eyes, something he only saw in the mirror. "Why don't you try again?"

"Edward…" Now he was fully awake. He dropped the pillow and pushed into a sitting position, watching the other. "I've been meaning to speak with you."

The Other Edward laughed heartily, head tossed back. "Oh, have you now? What happened to you being terrified of me?"

"I was confused. And then you lay hands not _only _on my son's mother, but on _my _lover. Clearly, a line had to be drawn."

"Nice to see you've grown a pair." The Other Edward started examining his nails. "Roy's fine, by the way. For the moment, at least. Though I can see why you two fuck so much~"

Edward growled under his breath, slamming his hands against the other's shoulders and pinning him down to the bed. "You wouldn't have dared!"

"There's nothing below me, Edward."

"I should just kill you right now. Get this over with. Why are you even doing this?"

"Because _I _should be in your place!" the Other Ed snapped, shoving the taller man off of him, causing him to hit his head on the headboard. "_I _should have this life! Not you! Why do you deserve it and I don't?"

"Is that what this is really about?" He'd expected something, but certainly not this. It was all because of jealousy? All the killings, the threats, the _torture? _"You could have made your own life! Hell, you could have even killed me and taken my place instead of killing the people I love!" He'd have gladly given his own life, if only to save those of his family.

The Other Edward stood from the foot of the bed, turning towards the door. "I don't intend on allowing you to live, either."

Ed vaulted off the edge of the bed, but by the time his feet hit the ground, the other man had left the room, leaving him all alone once more. It took a moment more for realization to actually dawn, and when it did, it struck Edward hard; he could practically feel it slam against his chest and knock the breath out him. If he didn't stop this clone of himself, then everyone he loved would die.

"I'm going to find you!" he screamed to the closed door, hoping that the other could hear him. "And next time, I won't hesitate to kill you!"

There was more of the laughter, followed by an unexpected response. "You're not a killer."

Edward's knees hit the floor, his breathing heavy. Yes, he knew that was true. No matter who it was, he tried to avoid killing people at all costs. Now it was looking as if he wouldn't have a choice. It was yet another truth he wanted to turn on its head, though he knew he couldn't. For Roy, for Alphonse, for Nicholas, he'd have to find the strength to do it if it was necessary, though he hoped to find another way.

Taking a deep breath, he stood from his kneeling position on the floor and opened the door, walking briskly out and down the stairs. He'd never be able to fall asleep again after that, but that didn't mean he had nothing to do but sit around staring at the wall and twiddling his thumbs. After all, his time was limited, and he wanted to find Roy as quickly as possible.

He walked down to the library, pulled out every text that looked even remotely relevant, and set them in stacks near the corner of his and Roy's favorite couch. Before he sat down, he grabbed a notebook and pen from the desk. They weren't the pen and notebook he usually wrote his notes and theories in, but they'd do for the moment. He plopped down on the couch, grabbed the text on the top of the nearest pile, and flipped it open as he uncapped the pen with his teeth. He set to work before he even got comfortable and situated on the couch, scribbling what he had to do at the top of the paper, then his ideas on how to find Roy and such underneath that. He always found it easier to work when he had his thoughts gathered and organized, even more so now that he was so worried it was scattering his brains.

After reading over the list a few times, chewing on the end of the pen all the while, he got an idea on how to get rid of his clone. Under the section filled with his ideas, the last one being _Kill the damn bastard and get it over with_- and yes, those were the actual words- he scribbled _Combine the two parts of my soul again. _As usual, he'd run it by Alphonse before he decided anything on it. Already, there was a seed of doubt planted in his mind about that particular plan; what if combining their souls again made him- at the very least- have thoughts similar to his clone's actions or- at worst- made him commit similar crimes? Then again, it could just be his own paranoia. Al could probably offer a different view, but if he was against it, then Ed certainly wouldn't do it.

"What was all that racket earlier, Ed?"

Just barely, Edward heard the question. His head snapped up, muscles tensing, even though he identified the voice to be none other than that of his brother's. When he actually saw Alphonse standing the open library doorway, he allowed his body to relax once more, a small breath leaving his lungs quietly. Finally, he answered, "It was nothing."

"Hell if it was. You were yelling, and I heard banging. Since Roy isn't here, that can only mean one thing."

Edward scowled weakly at him for a moment, but sighed again, this time heavier, and turned back to what he'd been doing. "We had some unwanted company," he replied simply, pretending to write a note on the paper. Really, all he was doing was doodling a picture in the margin. With Al in here riding his case like that, he couldn't exactly concentrate on what he was doing.

"You mean your clone, right?" Alphonse asked, frowning deeply. After all, the only voice he'd heard was Edward, but it had sounded like an entire conversation- more like argument- had taken place.

"Yeah, him. I think he just came to tell me what he was doing to Roy…" He bared down so hard on the pen that it ripped a small hole in the paper.

Quietly, Al padded over and took a seat next to his brother on the couch, draping an arm around the elder's shoulders in an attempt to comfort him. "Roy's tough; he's endured torture before."

"Not like this."

"Well, I get that it'd be hard to see the face he loved being the one to torture him, bu-"

"He forced Roy to have sex with him." As soon as the words left his mouth, Edward felt his brother stiffen beside him.

"A-Are you s-sure?" the younger Elric stammered, hardly able to believe it. Then again, this was the fouler version of Edward they were talking about.

"Pretty sure. He told me he could see why Roy and I fucked all the time. It's only right to assume that was what happened." Using the tip of his pen, he played with the ripped part of the paper absently, worrying the inside of his cheek.

"And so you threatened to kill him…" Not the other way around, as Alphonse had first thought.

"We both threatened to kill each other. I'm not even sure I want to see how this is going to turn out…" It was yet another one of those times that he wished he could just turn back the clock and stop all of this from ever happening. "He think he plans on killing everyone I care about, and Roy's just the beginning. Taking them and giving me time to find them is only the beginning of his sick little game. I doubt he intends on allowing Roy to live even if I _do _find him in time."

"But that doesn't mean you can just give up!" Alphonse immediately interjected, frightened that his brother was going to do just that. Of course, he'd never known Ed to do that, but still. There was a first time for everything.

Edward looked up at his brother and smiled, though it didn't quite touch his eyes. "I hadn't planned on it," he replied firmly, holding out his hand. "You plan on helping me out this time, too?" He wasn't sure if he could do this alone; he needed someone to take his side.

Alphonse laid his hand in his brother's squeezing his fingers lightly. "I'll always be there to help you out. All you have to do is ask."

Behind them, the clock struck midnight. Edward swallowed hard and looked up at it. "Five days," he pointed out quietly, anxiety twisting and playing in his chest. Five days wasn't a lot of time to find and rescue Roy.

"You pulled all-nighters for me for years. Now it's my turn to return the favor." Al stood up and, just like his brother, walked over to grab a pen and legal pad from the desk. On his way back, he grabbed a book from one of the stacks his brother had made on the floor. He made the couch cushions his desk, as he could never get comfortable sitting and writing on his thighs like Ed was doing. "Where did you want to start?"

"Well, before you came in, I was thinking about ways I could stop him. I didn't really get much, but I wanted to know what you thought about one of them."

"Go for it."

"What if I, somehow, combined the two parts of my soul again? His part and my part?"

Alphonse remained silent for a number of minutes, a thoughtful expression coming over his face as he worried his bottom lip. "I don't really think that would be a good idea. You don't know the consequences of putting your soul back together when the two parts have taken such… different paths."

"Yeah, that made me uneasy, too." Edward murmured as he drew a line through that option. "That only leaves killing him…"

"You don't know what _that _will do to your soul, either." When Edward frowned at him, Alphonse went on to explain. "Right now, even if the souls exist as two separate parts of a whole, they're still part of the same soul. If one of them dies, then that could damage the other part."

"Then I don't see many other options here, Alphonse. We can't just lock him up. He's got my brains and talent in alchemy; he'll find some way to break free. And I'm pretty sure talking to him won't do any good, either. He's not exactly one to listen to reason."

Alphonse sighed heavily, looking down at the clean sheet on his legal pad. "Then keep killing him as an option on there, but _please _at least _try _to reason with him if you have to confront him."

"Oh, I'll have to confront him. This won't stop until I do." Edward replied firmly. Despite his confidence that it would have to happen, there was still a little bit of hope in him that maybe everything would go different than what he expected.

Alphonse reached up and laid a hand on his brother's shoulder, a half smile quirking one corner of his mouth. "Roy would be proud of how maturely you're handling this."

"I just hope he lives long enough for me to tell him about it."

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><p><strong>You know what would be nice now? A review to go with my tea. Care to deliver on that? REVIEW! NOW!<strong>

**hugs&kisses~ Madarao**


	7. Chapter 7

**Yeah, yeah, yeah. I'm late, I know. But I've been busy. Really busy. Buuuuuuut... I found a beta! Yay~ Cutekawaiikoneko is now beta'ing this story- and soon others- for me. ^^ **

**Anyways, enough rambling. On with the story. **

**Warnings: Foul language- duh. Uhm... slight, slight, slight violence-ish... stuff... We've got Evil Ed in here, okay? **

**Enjoy and don't forget to review! **

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><p>A new day could shed new light on a situation, it seemed. When he'd walked back into the master bedroom the next morning to change his wrinkled sleeping clothes, Edward noticed damp red dirt on the creamy beige carpet near the foot of the bed. In the past day or so, he hadn't been anywhere to get red dirt on his shoes, nor had he worn his boots past the front door, so there was no way that could be from him. Considering that was where his duplicate took a seat the previous night, he assumed the dirt came from <em>his <em>shoes. If luck was on his side, the dirt would have been carried from the spot he had Roy trapped.

"Al! What's Tai's number?" he yelled, tone betraying the urgency he felt. Tai was the new head of the investigations department in Central, and she hated when people called her Miss Sarith. Naturally, even before Alphonse had called Edward, he called the investigators.

"What?" Al, Nicholas holding onto his leg, asked as he walked into the hall. His brother nearly rammed right into him in his haste.

"What's Tai's number? There's red dirt in mine and Roy's room from the bottoms of my clone's shoes." There was a little bit of excitement in his voice now. He didn't know of many places with red dirt around it in or near Central, and there was no way the Other Edward could have gotten that far from the city and still be making trips to visit.

"It's written on the notepad by the phone. I didn't want anyone to forget it, so I wrote it down when she gave it to me."

"You're a lifesaver." Ed called over his shoulder as he raced back into the hall. He heard Nicholas laugh and waddle after him, then felt him fall into his leg. As he picked up the phone and punched in the number with one hand, he set the other atop Nikki's head, ruffling his hair lightly.

"Up, Daddy! Up!" he insisted, stretching one arm up.

Just as the line clicked, Edward replied, "Not now, Nikki."

"Huh?" That was Tai's voice; Edward had met her a few times; she was fairly young, only a few years older than him.

"Sorry, Tai, not you. My son. Listen, the guy who took Roy broke in last night, and-"

"Really? Did you get him?" Tai interrupted excitedly.

"Erm… not quite… I tried to, but he got away when he slammed my head into the bed frame." It was only stretching the truth a little bit. After all, he'd had the clone pinned down against the bed, then he had pushed Ed off and gotten away. "But he left red dirt behind in the carpet. Most places in Central are paved or have dark brown dirt, not red. We need to make a list of all the abandoned places that are surrounded by red dirt and search them. But quietly, that way he won't catch wind of it."

"Did you get a good look at the guy?"

"Uhm… Yeah, by the light of the moon. He looked just like me."

"Do you have a twin or something, Ed? I didn't know that." Tai sounded extremely surprised. Just barely, Edward could hear paper rustling over the line; the soldier must have been taking notes.

"I didn't know it, either, but I guess I do." A long-lost twin with homicidal tendencies would be a hell of a lot easier to explain than an exact copy of himself being formed from a small piece of his soul. If that was what had happened, of course; it was just a theory that Ed had been working on the previous night.

"Well damn. He must really envy you to go and do something like this. I'll have my men compile that list for you and bring it over later."

"Thanks, Tai."

"See ya later, Ed. Take care."

With that, the investigator hung up the phone, leaving Edward to do the same. Then he knelt down to pick up his son, who had been patiently waiting his turn to receive attention. "Hey there."

"Found Woy yet, Daddy?" he asked, finger in his mouth.

Edward didn't answer him for a few moments; he bounced Nicholas in his arms, taking a step towards the window and looking out at the street. "Not yet, but we're getting closer to finding him. We'll have Roy back soon." His heart clenched at the mere thought. Sure, he might have Roy back, but in what state? The other Edward had apparently wasted no time in getting in his pants, and there was no doubt in Ed's mind that his duplicate would only make things worse from there. "You really miss him, don't you?" he asked, looking to his son.

Soberly, Nicholas nodded, removing his finger from his mouth. "Yeah, Daddy. He bounce me on his knee."

"I miss him, too, Nikki." Edward murmured, looking down at the floor between his toes. Much as he tried to stop them, tears filled his eyes and eventually spilled down his cheeks in salty rivulets.

Nicholas put his chubby hands on his father's cheeks, making him look up at him. His bright eyes glistened with tears that he hadn't yet shed. "Don't cwy, Daddy. We find Woy. He be okay," he tried to assure his father. When Ed gave him a teary smile, he was positive it had worked.

"I know, baby. Thank you," he whispered, kissing Nicholas's temple and the laying him against his chest. Truth was, he had no idea if they'd find Roy in time. He could only think of what was being done to the man…

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><p>Eyes glinting murderously, Edward stroked fingers across Roy's cheek, trying to rouse him without having to resort to actually hurting him. What were these feelings? They were so foreign. Never before had he felt such a thing. Only anger, envy, the want for blood and vengeance. But now he felt kindness for the man in front of him.<p>

Roy's eyes fluttered, as if he were trying to wake up. The murderous look slowly left his own golden eyes, leaving them blank. He wasn't really sure what to feel anymore. But he knew what he could do; it was what he knew, after all.

Ed turned the blade so the sharp edge was pressed against the man's skin. He dug it in and drew it across, producing a shining line of blood. Roy remained silent but attempted to turn his face away from it all the same.

"I wonder what you look like all cut up, Roy…" he purred, leaning forward to lap at the blood. He groaned. The dark-haired man growled.

"Too bad you'll never find out."

"Oh? Do you want to bet, baby? Our little Edo has not the faintest idea where you are~ I've got plenty of time to do all that I want with you."

To that, Roy had no reply. All the better. Edward slipped him a bit of sedative and watched as he slowly fell unconscious again.

"You're mine," the clone whispered, leaning close to him again.

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><p>"Yo, Ed. Wake ya ass up. We got work to do."<p>

Tai's voice floated to him from what seemed a far off place, when really it was right in front of him. He blinked wearily, feeling someone patting his cheek roughly and Nicholas shifting against his chest.

"What time's it?" he asked, words slurring together, as he opened his eyes and rubbed them. Cocoa brown eyes frowned down at him from behind a mess of auburn bangs. A tan hand, which belonged to the auburn-haired investigator, still rested against his cheek from where she'd been patting it.

"Nearly six. We need to get a move on. We've only got five days- well, less, now since it took us this long to compile that damned list- until your twin or whoever the fuck it is offs Roy. I know you want to find him, and I want to find him just as bad as you. So let's get your ass up off the couch and take care of business." Tai straightened up and pulled a list and a map from her coat pocket.

"Come on, Tai. Calm your tits. It's not like I've been asleep all day. Nikki and I just fell asleep waiting on you." After all, there wasn't much he could have done besides try to contact his duplicate- or, rather, peek into his head- in his dreams. This time, he'd gotten a few flashes. A dark room, a window at the top, cold concrete. Roy was chained to the wall. He'd gotten to see the outside, too. Sun shining through leaves, making everything look weird and way too colorful, and a house made of red and brown brick. It had been small and homey, complete with a smokestack from a chimney.

Tai rolled her eyes and knelt down at the coffee table near the couch, spreading out the map and opening the list. "Get your white ass down here, pretty boy, and help me."

Carefully, Edward transferred Nicholas from his chest to the couch and knelt down beside the girl. "It'll be in the woods," he informed her quietly, picking up the list to look at it.

"What? How do you know?" Tai asked, shock coloring her voice.

"Call it twin telepathy."

The girl snorted, peeking over his shoulder at the list. "Twin telepathy doesn't really exist."

"That's an opinion. Plus, I just said let's call it that."

Tai frowned and moved somewhat away from him, eyeing him carefully. "There's something you aren't telling me, isn't there?" When the man showed no intention of even answered that question, she sighed and pulled a marker from her pocket. "Those soldiers were right. You Elrics are damn secretive. _Too _damn secretive."

Edward smirked, looking over the map. "I could always tell you that my keeping quiet was all to save you, but that wouldn't be entirely true. I'm really not telling you the whole truth because there's no damn way you'd ever believe me, and neither would anyone else. So let's call it twin telepathy and get on with it, yeah?"

The investigator huffed and flopped down on the carpet, circling a spot Edward pointed to. "No fair, Elric. No fair," she muttered, doodling something on the inside of her hand.

"Oh, just hush and mark."

By the end, they'd marked every spot outlined on the list, then marked out the ones that weren't in the woods. They had four locations, and four days to search them, since it was after eight and Tai had to get back to record information.

"I need the map," she told Edward, frowning apologetically. "But you can keep the list."

Edward smiled at her as he leaned against the wall by the door, folding the list in two again and sliding it between his fingers over and over. "Thanks, Tai. I'll come by first thing tomorrow and we can start looking for him. Sound good?"

"Fine by me. Don't be late, pretty boy. Or I'll have to shoot ya~" she warned playfully, making a gun with her fingers and pointing them at him. Then she giggled and waved. "See ya, Eddo." She pulled open the door and trooped out in the cool fall air.

"Bye, Tai," he called after her, looking down at the list once more. "And thanks for this."

"No problem."

As she got into her car, Edward closed the front door. He was relieved to have somewhere to start looking for Roy now, considering he'd had diddly-squat the previous day. "Four days. Four places. I'm going to find you, Roy." He muttered, looking down at the folded piece of paper in his hands. Then he stowed it in his pocket and went to pick up Nicholas, who had returned to his many toys as a way to entertain himself.

"Time for dinner, Nikki," he announced as he picked his son up and settled him on his hip.

"Yay~ Food!" the youngest Elric cheered, throwing his arms in the air.

Edward laughed slightly. "Yeah. You're mine." He kissed the boy's cheek as he carried him into the kitchen. With any luck, he'd be able to find Roy within twenty-four hours.


	8. Chapter 8

**This has actually been beta'd for... what? A week, maybe? Somewhere around there... Please don't hate me. Or hurt me. I've been busy and haven't had time to make necessary changes and stuff! D= If it helps, I've already started on chapter nine. It's awaiting me in my lovely notebook for me to write more tomorrow~ Anyways, this is sort of just... kind of a filler. To show the Other Edward more. The following chapters are probably going to be more Original/Clone conflict, etc. etc. But I do have some of this actually planned out and am NOT just playing it all by ear for once. Awesome, right? Anyways...**

**Note:**** I haven't quite decided just HOW to refer to Edward's clone. In here, he's referred to as Clone. In other places, he's referred to as the Other Edward. So it's probably going to be both. But, if something changes, I'll be sure to let you know. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fullmetal Alchemist or any characters/themes/etc associated with it. I just wrote this story with its characters and such. **

**Warnings: Foul language. Uh... rape... yeah... Etc, etc. **

**Enjoy~ **

**Oh, and ya'll's asses better review, or I'm a go all Southern 'Belle' on your ass! (Yes. I'm Southern. Problems, bitches? Also, from where I am, YES, "ya'll's" is a word. It means "all of your." Basically...)**

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><p>It was… weird… Whatever he was laying on was hard and cold, very much unlike the warm, soft bed he could have sworn he'd fallen asleep in the previous night. Edward would have been inclined to say he'd merely fallen asleep on the floor in front of the fireplace again had it not been for the pounding in his temples that was threatening to split his head. Blinking hard in an attempt to clear his terribly blurred vision, he slid his palms against the surface he was laying on, trying to find a position where he could easily push himself up, fingernails skritching and scratching. It definitely wasn't a bed he was on, that was for sure.<p>

"Edward?"

About halfway off of the floor, still staring at the dirty cement that most certainly didn't have a place in Roy's house, Ed froze, his eyes widening. The voice was painfully familiar, one he hadn't heard in days, yet longed for at every waking second. Hell, even when he was asleep.

"R-Roy?" he croaked, scrambling to his feet and swaying slightly when his head gave a splitting throb and his vision darkened slightly and tilted. A hand flew up to his head as his eyes started to flutter closed again.

"Sit down, Ed. He probably gave you something." Roy said quietly, staring down at the ground.

The blond noticed that his lover was leaning against the back wall for support. There were chains on the walls, as if he'd been shackled before. He didn't sit down, though, despite what he'd been told. Instead, he stumbled forward towards the other man, tripping and falling into the wall. When the world stopped spinning, he slid down to the floor and wrapped one of his arms around Roy, the other tilting his face up. From the light of the grimy window above, he could make out the dirt smudges on the man's face and the dark circles under his eyes. Or rather… eye, considering that the right one was bruised and slightly swollen. There were cuts on his cheek and bare chest. His wrists were raw; probably from his bonds.

"You look… terrible…"

"It's good to see you, too."

Edward brushed his thumb across Roy's dirty cheek, smiling weakly at him. "I missed you… so much… I thought about you all the time… I-I just wanted to find you… alive… I've been trying so hard…" He was going to say more, but was cut off when Roy leaned forward and kissed him. He always did that when he wanted him to shut up, didn't he?

Out of nowhere, he heard slow clapping from the opposite corner and he quickly pulled away from Roy, looking up. His duplicate was walking forward, one step for every clap of his hands. There was a triumphant smirk on his face, one that screamed he was just out for blood.

When he reached the two of them, he crouched down in front of Edward, smiling at him. "So you're awake? Good. I was starting to wonder if I'd actually killed you," he said sweetly, putting bloody fingers under Edward's chin and tilting his head back, looking him over. "I was thinking about killing you right away…"

"Then why don't you try it, you bastard?" the original of the two spat at him, almost literally. For the moment, he didn't jerk his chin away. He didn't want the other to get pissed off and take it out on Roy. After all, the clone knew him best- possibly even better than he knew himself- and knew that hurting someone he loved would hurt him even more than physically hurting him.

"I thought I might have some fun with you first~" The sickly-sweet smile on his face turned into an evil grin.

"Ed!" When Roy spoke the name, both pairs of golden eyes snapped to him, but he was only interested in the hazy pair. "Don't. He'll-"

"I know…" Yes, he knew it all. What all he would do… how he got his rocks off and everything.

"How about you play uke? You do it so well, Daddy~"

Edward growled loudly at the clone until a hand was clamped over his mouth. Then he simply glared hard at him.

"Now, now. No need to be like that, Daddy~" He was rather surprised his original wasn't fighting against him yet. He must've still been out of it from the drug he'd give him. Still, to be on the safe side, he used the shackles that had once been Roy's to bind him in place. Not liking that at all, Edward struggled and writhed against them, though it was a weak protest due to whatever he'd been given. Thankfully, he faced no dilemma by binding one of them and not the other; the elder of the two was far too weak to do anything. "Now, how about we get right down to business, shall we?"

With that, the clone leaned forward and pressed his lips against the original's, spreading his legs wide open so they were pressed against the wall. He was just going to fuck him against the wall. That had been his intent from when he'd first decided he was going to toy with Edward before he actually killed him. But now he realized he didn't feel like struggling with the boy's kicking legs. So, after thoroughly tongue-fucking his mouth for an acceptable amount of time, the Other Edward pulled away to see a completely breathless, flushed blond glaring daggers at him- daggers that dropped out of the air before they made it to him, but daggers nonetheless.

Then, seeming as if the kiss hadn't affected him like it had the other, he stood up and undid the button and zipper on his pants, freeing himself. Edward flinched and turned his head away. "If you puke, I'll force the vomit back down your throat," he warned in a low growl, turning the blond's face forward again. His lips were pressed tightly together in his utter refusal, a distressed look in his eyes. "And if you bite, I'll pull out your teeth."

"The hell do you think you're doing? He's you! That's wrong!" Roy spoke up from somewhere to Ed's left, but he couldn't turn his head; the clone was still holding it firmly in place.

"Think of it as masturbation, then."

Edward turned his eyes up to his clone. Even though the he didn't say anything- he was afraid that, if he opened his mouth for even a second, the clone would immediately take the opportunity. One could clearly see a "Please don't do this!" in his eyes. Unfortunately, the other hadn't gotten his heart, and either he didn't remember or didn't care that he- or would it be the other?- had a gag reflex that was slightly more sensitive than was normal. He scooted even farther back, as if trying to become one with the wall, and realized he was wearing only one of Roy's button ups when the hard concrete scrubbed against his bare heels and ass. Tears were already starting to form in those pleading eyes.

The clone paid it no mind. Instead, he held his original's nose closed until he gasped for air. Then, he thrust forward into the other's mouth, without warning or mercy. He went all the way in, until Ed's nose was pressed into his pubic hair. And, immediately, Ed started choking, squeezing his eyes closed as they started to tear up.

Clone started to move his hips back and forth in rapid succession, loving every second of Edward's suffering. By the end of this, they both knew he was either going to vomit or bite.

The duplicate put one hand on the back of the other's head to pull him into the thrusts, the free hand on the wall. Ed's nails dug into his flesh palm, the metal on the other scratching. His toes twitched, curled, as he pulled his legs up. Tears poured down his cheeks in a relentless torrent as he tried to pull away, willing it to just be over already.

And, finally, after what felt like an eternity… it was. Of course, that was bad, too since he could _feel _Clone finish, spurting seed down his throat. And he didn't seem as if he really gave a shit that Ed might not want to swallow it. He pulled out immediately, some of the sticky white substance spilling over the original's lips and out of the corners of his mouth as he leaned forward and gagged, opening his knees. Thankfully, he didn't actually throw up.

Vaguely, he was aware of the duplicate zipping and buttoning his pants, then releasing him from the shackles. Something was said, but he didn't even understand it. Suddenly, there were arms around him and, had he not been gagging so, he would've jumped out of his skin and scrambled away.

"Ed…" a soft, deep voice breathed in his ear as those arms pulled him against a warm, firm chest. He knew both of those even better than the back of his own hand. Trembling like a leaf, he clung onto Roy's shirt with a bleeding hand, breathing hard through his mouth, lips chapped, and making raw sobbing noises, despite the aching in his throat. He practically climbed into Roy's lap, wondering why the hell the man was worried about him. After all, not only was he weak, but it had been someone who looked just like him that had been torturing him for days.

He swallowed hard around the taste in his mouth and the raw feeling, turning his face into the man's chest, smearing blood over the shirt. "Y-you sh-should w-worry about y-yourself…" he choked out, even though his body language didn't suggest that he wanted to lose the warm comfort he had now.

"Oh, shut up." Roy carefully stroked a dirty hand through the blond's clean, shiny hair. "I'm doing this because you need me, and I want to."

"Y-you're s-so d-dirty!" Edward sobbed into his chest, sounding like a hysterical idiot and not caring at all.

"I love you, too," the general said quietly, smiling down at him. That, of course, only made Edward sob even harder and louder into his chest, and Roy just held him until the sobs slowly quietened and he sniffled and cried himself into a restless sleep. Then the man cleaned his face off for him and leaned back against the wall with the smaller man on his chest.

Oh, when Edward woke up, he sure had some 'splainin' to do. That was for sure.


	9. Chapter 9

**Hey. Guess what? **

**Last chapter. Now. I know what you're thinking. "?" Well I just did. I wasn't sure where I was going with this at the end of the last chapter. I finally figured it out, and this is where I was going so it's the end. Maybe, if you're nice and possibly maybe ask for it, I possibly may write an epilogue. Maybe. Don't hold me to that- or anything else. xD  
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**So. If you keep up with more stories than this, I want your opinion. If you don't keep up with more stories than this or just don't want to share your opinion, whatevs; I didn't want yours anyways. After this, I will be working on one of my in-progress stories. It's up to you to decide which gets a new chapter first, and it's between two of my other stories: _Down the Rabbit Hole_ or _Everywhere_? So, click that fancy new review button and let me know... or don't. But preferably the former, because I'm really not good with decisions.  
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**On wiff da storeh!  
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**Disclaimer: Do. Not. Own. I will not say it again!  
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**Warnings: ... You still need this shit? Fine. Shounen-ai. Violence. Bloody-gorey stuff. Maybe a teensy little bit of... character death... possibly... Just read, dammit!  
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**Enjoy~  
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><p>More dreams; ones he didn't even wish to think about. This time, Edward woke quietly, curled up on his side on the cold floor. Even without opening his eyes, he was sure of two things: One, there was blood slick on both of his hands; Two, long strands of hair were clumped together in his flesh hand. Slowly, his eyes fluttered open, as he knew he'd have to face this day eventually. His head didn't ache quite as much; neither did the rest of him. He flexed and curled his fingers as he sat up, golden eyes shifting around. It looked like he and Roy were the only two in the grimy room. Though he'd slept, he still felt absolutely exhausted.<p>

After blinking what little sleep he could from his eyes, Edward cleared his throat and held both of his hands up. Might as well see what was going on there. He'd been right about the blood; it was smeared all over both hands. Long strands of blond hair were caught between his fingers and in the joints of his automail hand. Finally, he'd been able to lay hands on his duplicate, if only in his dreams. But now the proof was here, in the real world. It took him a moment to remember how this had happened. He remembered his automail blade tearing through the flesh of his duplicate's stomach, even as his free hand gripped the other's blond hair and yanked. The Other Edward had been caught so off-guard that he only weakly pushed at his original. A small tussle on the bleeding floor had ensued and then… he woke up.

In that case, there was probably blood all over him. The blond frowned and began to look himself over. Sure enough, there was blood smeared over his shirt and even parts of his arms and legs. He wouldn't be surprised if there was some on his face, as well. The shirt was already ruined. Because of this, Ed felt no remorse for wiping his hands off on it. Roy appeared to be asleep, even snoring very quietly. With a smile, he leaned over to lightly press his lips to the man's cheek, nuzzling his nose to the spot he'd just kissed.

Then, without warning… the young alchemist stood up on the spot. His legs were much stronger than they had been the previous day. Hell, _he _as a whole felt stronger now. Maybe it was the determination to put an end to all of this that gave him this new strength. Maybe it was that he'd finally stood up to his duplicate. Whatever the reason, all that mattered was that he was finally strong enough to take that bastard on. At least, he believed he was. Wouldn't that be enough? Damn, he hoped so.

With another glance to his lover, he traced his hand along the length of one of the shackles, all the way from where it was bolted on the wall to the cuff that dangled against the wall. Hm, what could he do with this? Even though he hadn't eaten in at least twenty-four hours, transmuting shouldn't be too much of a problem, so long as he wasn't trying to transmute anything too big. Pale fingers lifted the cuff away from the wall and held it up as golden eyes skimmed over it. A different shape… a sharper shape… popped into his mind as he ran his fingers over it. That wasn't such a bad idea, actually…

"What're you doing?"

The voice to his right had his attention in an instant, the cuff clanging against the hard, rough wall when he suddenly let it go. His eyes slid over to the other man… and he smiled despite the situation. "Oh, nothing," he answered quietly, kneeling back down in front of the man.

"Alright, ya damn liar." The tone of Roy's voice was just slightly teasing. "Would you at least explain what the hell is going on?"

Edward frowned slightly and lifted a barely-clean hand to rest against his lover's cheek. "Honestly… I don't even know myself. We have a theory… that _he's _a part of me that had been trapped with Truth and was released when I opened the Gate again to pull Alphonse's body back. Maybe that he's… mostly made of parts of me that I wouldn't accept; the harsher, evil parts of my personality." His thumb brushed lightly along the other's cheekbone.

"I knew I was asking for trouble when I got involved with an Elric."

"And you'd never second-guess that decision…?" There was a hopeful tone to his voice.

"Of course I wouldn't, idiot." Roy leaned forward to press a kiss to the blond's lips. "Now. How about why you're covered in blood?"

As if he'd forgotten that he had blood on his shirt and skin, Ed looked down at himself and frowned. "Oh… Well, that's… kind of a long story, actually. And I'm not really sure if you'd believe me."

Roy snorted a laugh, winced, and shifted his position carefully. "After all that's happened? I highly doubt that anything you could tell me would be unbelievable."

Sighing, the shorter man fell backwards to sit on his ass, propping his bloody legs up in the other's lap. "You know those dreams I had. They all involved him. I had another one and I sort of… attacked him in it. Even though it was in a dream world, I woke up with his blood smeared on my hands and his hair caught in my fingers." And then he shrugged as if it were no big deal.

"… Oh, he's going to be pissed."

"Tell me something I don't know."

A small smirk found its way to the dark-haired man's pale lips. "I love you~"

For the first time in a while, Edward laughed, and it was a genuine laugh, full of actual humor. "I said something I _don't _know, silly." Regardless, he leaned forward and kissed the other on the mouth, hand cupping his warm cheek. After all, he knew that this very well might be the last time he was able to do this. "I love you, too, bastard."

As if sensing something was wrong, that something was bothering his young lover- at least, more than the predicament that they were in- Roy wrapped strong arms about the boy's middle and pulled him up against his chest, resting his chin atop the blond head. "You seem oddly good-natured for someone who's been trapped in a cold room, where we've both been tortured in varying ways."

"What? I can't be happy to be here in your arms?"

"Not when there's an escape to be made and a riddle to unravel." There was a knowing smirk on those cocky lips.

"Stop knowing me so well," Ed muttered, burying his face into the other's chest. "I really am happy _just _because I'm here in your arms. I promise it." The look of complete honesty in his bright golden eyes as they lifted to Roy left no room for doubt that it was the truth.

Still, the military man thought there was something else to it. In the end, he decided to leave the matter be for the moment and simply cradled the smaller boy against his chest. "Then I believe you." He nuzzled his nose into the gorgeous blond hair.

"Good. Now let me go."

"Wh-what?"

"No offense intended, but I was in the middle of something when you interrupted me."

"… You were staring at shackles."

"Tch. Exactly. I think I can transmute those into something else. Something we can use as a weapon against him." Edward explained, his voice even below a whisper. No way was he willing to risk his plan by talking about it too loudly. He _really _didn't want his clone to overhear.

"You still have the strength to transmute?" The look on Roy's face was skeptical.

The blond hesitated slightly, then shrugged. "I figure I've got enough strength for a small transmutation, so long as I don't do anything fancy."

Every little voice in the dark-haired man's mind screamed at him _not _to allow Edward to do this; that there was a possibility it wouldn't turn out well and they needn't risk it. Of course, he knew that nothing he said would change the blond's mind. He'd known the Fullmetal Alchemist far long enough to know that he'd do _whatever _he wanted without listening to what anyone else had to say. "Yeah, alright. Just… don't push yourself, alright?"

"You know better than to think I would." Carefully, Ed shifted out of his lover's arms to get back on his feet, pulling the shirt down to at least cover his ass, grateful he was wearing boxers. Maybe he should start wearing pants to bed… "Now. I'm thinking something… sharp. No design at all. Just something that comes to a point," he mused very quietly, as if to himself, as he lifted the cuff once more.

As he dropped it back against the wall once more, he clapped his hands together, picturing what he wanted in his head as he moved his hands to press against the freezing metal. The following blue flash was so bright that it almost blinded him and he squinted, concentrating hard on what he was doing. He could _feel _the energy draining from his body, but he quickly pushed the thought away. Thinking about that wouldn't help him right now. After what seemed like an eternity, the light faded and he stood, panting, with a fairly lengthy, thin, crude version of a dagger clasped firmly in his hand. Crude, because there was no hilt at all. The sides were completely dull and rectangular where he would be gripping it, coming up to a long, sharp point at the opposite end.

Looking up at his lover, Edward spun it around in his hand and tucked it into the waist band of his boxers. The last thing he wanted was for his clone to waltz in and see _that _in his hands. A surprise attack would be much better. And then he grinned. Tired as he looked now, he was elated that it had work, his heart pounding both from the exertion and nervousness. Could he really pull this off? Normally, the answer would be a flat, stern _yes. _But this was _himself _that he was fighting. Their fighting styles would be exactly the same and they'd know each other's special moves.

"What're you thinking about?" That look was unmistakable. The young alchemist was attempting to figure something out and was having a lot of trouble with it, possibly even doubting himself.

"We're the _same._ If we wind up fighting, it could go on for hours. It would only end if one of us got too tired to fight anymore!" The blond slapped himself in the face, shaking his head. And it had seemed like such a good idea…

Roy, on the other hand, still thought it would work. That, and he had every confidence in his lover. He simply shrugged and pushed himself up so he was sitting straight, back pressed against the wall behind him. "Just… do it before he has time to fight back."

"… I'd hate you for being a smartass." His shoulders rose and fell with a heavy sigh. "But I can't hate you." He knelt on one knee, putting his hand on Roy's cheek again. "I love you. I don't think I've told you that enough, don't think you realize just how much. I never was much for saying it, was I…?" A softer sigh left his lips this time and he leaned forward, pressing his forehead to the other's as he brushed his nose against his lover's. "Whatever happens, I want you to remember me saying that. Always."

"Ed… You're talking and acting like you're going to die," the dark-haired man observed quietly, a frown tugging his lips down.

Good-naturedly, as if he was unbothered and nothing was wrong, Edward smiled at the other man and shook his head, their foreheads and noses rubbing together. "I know, I know. I'm sorry. I guess I just caught up in the mood." The lie rolled off of his tongue easily- far too easily, in his own opinion. Maybe he hadn't given up as many of his undesirable aspects as he thought.

Sighing, Roy shook his head, smiling fondly. "Well damn, Ed. You startled me for a moment there."

"Well, you know me~ I love messing with you~"

"In more ways than one~" That was most certainly Edward's voice, but the blond kneeling in front of Roy was still painfully silent. "And you know I'm right." The clone sat down in the chair in the middle of the room, facing backwards. He folded his arms over the curve of the back and grinned.

That grin fell when his original stood up and started to stride towards him. If one looked very closely, it would be obvious that there was a single clump of hair missing from the right side of his scalp. That would explain the clump of hair in the original Edward's hand when he'd awoken earlier. Blood also stained the front of the duplicate's shirt. That would be where he'd been stabbed by the automail blade.

"You think it's funny?" Edward growled. And there was that fire. Right where it should be: Giving light to those burning twin suns that the young man called eyes.

"That you're trapped here and I can do to you _anything _I want to? Morbidly hilarious~" And, for emphasis, it seemed, the clone barked a laugh, rocking the chair slightly from the force of it.

The real Ed gritted his teeth, finding it hard to quell the urge to rip out the crude dagger and stab him right there. He had to get him distracted, comfortable with the situation, and then strike when he was least expecting it. This was rather unlike him, as he rarely formed plans and usually went right in, guns blazing. Hopefully, this would catch the clone _very _off-guard, since it was a younger version of himself and wasn't used to formulating plans. "You get off of it, don't you? You know how sick that makes you?"

"Oh, Daddy~ We all have our own sick fascinations. This is just one of yours~"

"That is _not _one of mine."

"It is. One _so _deeply suppressed that it was passed on to me. Meaning you don't have it anymore, but you _used _to have it. Don't those words just send shivers up your spine~?" the younger blond purred, eyes following the other as best he could. He didn't find it odd at all that his 'father' was circling him, and he didn't even notice that with every circle… the distance between them was closed… little by little.

"They don't. Because I know if I still had those feelings you speak of that I could _never _act upon them. I, unlike you, have a sense of morality."

"Ouch, Daddy. Were those words supposed to wound me?" The tone of his voice was teasing, unsuspecting.

The older blond snorted a laugh, resting a hand on his hip over the crude dagger. He wanted his hand as close to it as possible without giving himself away. "Of course not. I've figured you out enough to know that mere words will have absolutely no effect on you." Just a bit closer.

"Ah. Figured that out all on your own, did ya?"

"It's not like you kept it a secret." By this point, his heart was hammering because he was so nervous, and he was worried that his clone would be able to hear. Especially considering that he himself could barely hear the exchanged words over the drumming in his ears. Was he breathing harder? He couldn't even answer that question now, for he wasn't sure of the answer.

"True. And I'm very good at keeping secrets, aren't I?"

"Hardly. You gave yourself away to me."

"Ah, but if I hadn't have _given _you the answer, you'd still be sitting on your hands, wondering just what curse had befallen your family and infected them like the plague. Isn't that right?"

"You might be right about that, but only because _you _are an impossible thing… in more ways than one." So close they could touch. That was when the original Edward carefully slipped the crude dagger out of the waistband of his boxers, staring at the back of the clone's head, as he was currently standing behind the other. Thankfully, the transmuted weapon was on his right side, the side away from the duplicate, and so it could still remain hidden even as he walked around to the front of his copy. "And impossible things… should not exist."

This was far from the first time Edward had stabbed anybody, but it was certainly different. For many reasons, in fact. Even though the dagger was in his automail hand, he could _feel _the flesh and muscle give way under the blade, feel it slide _right _into the heart. In addition, he could feel blood spill over the numb steel, which was very odd indeed. Most importantly, there was a sharp pain in his chest that he couldn't quite explain. Where was it coming from…? Could he feel what his copy was feeling?

The answer to that was no; he couldn't feel that. What he _could _feel was an automail hand ripping its way to the center of his chest, through his back. Fortunately, it had missed his heart. Unfortunately, it was now very hard to breathe; it hadn't missed his lung.

As if from some faraway place, Edward heard Roy scream his name, but the voice at his ear was far louder. "If I die, then you die with me, Daddy."

He yanked the dagger from his duplicate's chest, but his slick fingers couldn't keep a hold on it and it clattered to the floor. The automail hand slid from his own ribcage as he took a step backwards and fell. Someone caught him and kept his head from banging into the floor though. He couldn't see what had become of his other self. All he could see was a pair of worried eyes as dark as a starry night, a pale face with many a wound and bruised. It was slowly starting to blur and fade into blackness. Trying to frown, he blinked as if to get rid of that annoyance.

"Ed, come on. Don't do this to me," a soft, deep, soothing voice pleaded. It was easily recognizable as Roy's.

The half-frown on the blond's face was slowly replaced with a small smile, but when he opened his mouth, all that came out was a soft, gurgled hacking sound and a fountain of blood. It spilled over the front of his shirt, running down and starting to soak into Roy's anyways. He took a deep breath, but the left side of his chest protested painfully and it didn't seem like he'd gotten any air in at all.

"Hold on until I get you some help. Please, Ed!"

Oh. Now he realized… he wasn't going to make it. His chest was filling up with blood and he couldn't breathe for choking on it.

And suddenly he was up in the air, being jostled about. Edward knew Roy didn't have the strength for this. There was no point, anyways. Coughing up another lungful of blood, he placed a hand on the other man's cheek and shook his head, a sad smile tugging at his bloody lips. By now, both of them had blood all over their clothes and skin. "Roy…" It was the hardest thing in the world right now to even get the name out. But there was something he had to say, and he had to say it _now. _

"Sh. Save your breath. You can tell me when I get you some help!" Roy insisted desperately, even though he knew that he wasn't going to make it to any kind of help in time. Desperation made you stupid; it made you do things you normally wouldn't do and say things that you normally wouldn't say. Desperation is a silly thing. It is also something that we all feel from time to time; that we all can't _help _but feel from time to time. Roy Mustang was certainly no exception to this rule.

Edward shook his head, knowing his lover wasn't going to give up on him until he was pronounced dead and six feet under. He might as well just come right out and say it, despite the protests he was receiving. "I have… always loved you… and I always… will, Roy…" Even now, the words were gurgled and hardly noticeable as such. Blood spilled over his lips with every word, pouring down his chin and over his neck. His head bounced, already-labored breathing shaking with even the smallest of movements.

"Ed. Don't talk. Please." Hearing the blond speak like that… it just confirmed that these were their last moments together. "You've got so much left to do! He's gone now. We can all be free of him and get on with our lives, and you _have _to be there!" Again, that desperation colored the military man's voice. Twigs cracked under his shoes and low branches attempted to smack him right in the face, but they meant absolutely nothing to him. The only thing that mattered was the dying blond in his arms, who his eyes constantly kept flickering down to. Every time they did, a little life would be gone from those once-bright eyes, now dulling. The boy's breathing became shallower, more labored. He was constantly coughing up new blood, as if there was no end to it. And finally… those shallow breaths turned to gasps. Gasps that found no oxygen.

Roy saw no end to these woods- not yet, anyways- but he did see an end right here, in his arms. Finally, he stopped, able to make out faint traces of blue under the blood covering his lover's lips, and knelt down on the forest path to settle the shorter boy in his lap.

"Ni-Ni… -kki." With no oxygen, it was a miracle that was able to be formed, broken and gurgled and disgusting as it was.

"Don't worry about him. I'll take care of him for you. I promise," the dark-haired man murmured, leaning forward to kiss the other one last time. He didn't even care about all the blood; it was their _last. _

All the response he was given- and he didn't even expect this much- was a weak bob of the blond head and golden eyes that were fighting not to close. A bloody thumb touched his cheek. Crimson lips mouthed 'I love you' for a final time.

Roy could actually _see _the life leave Edward Elric, as he looked into the young man's eyes. There had been so much there. To see it suddenly drop away… it was enough to break the heart of even the strongest of men- even a god that neither of them believed in. It was most certainly enough to tear the heart of Roy Mustang straight from his chest, rip it to shreds, and toss it carelessly through the dirt.

Not a sound left his mouth. Not a sound _could _leave his mouth, for he was completely incapable of making one. Silent tears of agony traipsed their way along his pale, bruise cheeks, collecting at his chin and dripping down to splash onto the bloody chest of the late Elric brother.

How long he knelt on that forest path, the soldier didn't know. In the end, he didn't even have to move to find the help he had wanted so desperately earlier. It came to him in the form of an auburn-haired investigator named Tai Sarith. Fortunately, this Tai Sarith was no dummy and had brought along backup- including paramedics.

Too late, though.

Regardless, the EMTs pried Edward's cooling body from Roy's reluctant arms as Tai knelt beside him and rested a hand on his shoulder. "You know there will be questions for you," she whispered, knowing that her superior must feel as if the world had ended. And maybe it had, losing someone as brilliant as the Fullmetal Alchemist.

A jerky nod was her reply.

"And you might get blamed for his murder…?"

Another jerky nod.

"Good. I'll get my guys to help you into the ambulance. You're going to need to be looked at, as well. The rest of us will follow this path back to that run-down shack." A pat on his shoulder and she stood up. Honestly, she was barely holding it together herself. She hadn't known Ed for very long, but she'd honestly liked the poor guy and had been hoping they would become close friends.

Sighing, Tai walked over to a couple over her men, giving them instructions to escort the brigadier general to the hospital; to go straight there and not let him leave no matter what. They gave her a salute, then helped Mustang to his feet and walked- well, more liked dragged, as he couldn't get his feet to work properly- him all the way out of the forest, to where many cars were parked and waiting for them. It seemed that the whole time, Roy didn't so much as blink, staring off into space without saying a word, barely breathing.

-xXx-

In the end, it was ruled that the 'Elric twins' had murdered each other. One had snapped and lost his mind, going insane and trying to take over his brother's life, as one where he was known by everyone was far preferable to one where he was known by no one. The other had been trying to protect the ones that he loved. In the end, Edward still came out the same person he had always been, the hero people had always seen him to be.

For Edward, a funeral was held four days after the incident. It would have been less, but an investigation had to be done; this investigation was rushed. Everyone left that Edward loved, the people closest to him in the military, the remainder of the Hughes family, even some people he didn't really _know _but had somehow helped in his travels attended. Roy didn't leave the casket's side. And when it was put under the ground? He stayed at the grave site until well into the night, when the air chilled his fingers and toes so that they were numb. Alphonse and Nicholas finally managed to pull him away and get him back home to where it was warm.

With his 'twin…' well, that was a very different, very odd story. His body had been in the morgue, right next to Edward's. On the fourth day, though, after the funeral, an investigator had come into the cold, sterile room to find nothing but a pile of ashes in its place. Nobody was able to explain how it happened, and so it simply went unexplained.

True to his word, Roy officially adopted Nicholas Elric Mustang and began to raise him as his own, even if for months after the death of his lover… he was a broken, broken man. Even after that, he was still broken. He just got better at putting on a strong face for the growing boy, even if he was something asked the tear-jerking question, "When's Daddy coming home…?"

Time for the healing to begin.

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><p><strong>Lulz. I was listening to possibly <em>the <em>happiest song _ever- _PONPONPON, the cover by Kagamine Len and maybe a bit of Rin- while I was writing the death scene, and the stabbing and... pretty much everything after **_"'In more ways than one~' That was most certainly Edward's voice, but the blond kneeling in front of Roy was still painfully silent." _**I'm such a good person and now a BAU5 at saying, "Pon Pon Way Way Way Pon Pon Way Pon Way Pon Pon. Way Way Pon Pon Pon Way Way Pon Way Pon Way Way." quickly. :D **

**Blessed Be~ Madarao  
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